Annie
happyhugo
copyright(C) 03/10/2014
Drama, Romance
A Brattleboro, Vt Tale
39,429 words
Readers score 7,62
Johnny, the Widower
Sandy, the Undercover Agent
Annie, the Little Orphan Girl
Oh yes, Abdul, the Terrorist
Caitlin, the FBI Agent
A Story … Perhaps
Annie is a little orphan girl who comes to live at Carriage Hill in West Brattleboro, Vermont. Johnny, her father, is enticed by the FBI into giving help to an agent. Annie is Johnny's reward for doing this. Over the next few months he is lied to and manipulated. The first promise of happiness turns sour and he has to keep searching, but Annie is there for him.
It was Sunday morning, the middle of it to be exact. I didn’t often get up this late, but I was out on a date last night. I had taken the lady dancing and then we had returned here. I saw her to the door about four-thirty and then went to sleep. Both the dancing and the exertion wore me out.
I had just sat down with my coffee when the doorbell rang. Christ, I didn’t need this. Probably some church group wanting to read to me. One of those groups whose Sabbath was on Saturday.
It wasn’t. A man about my age stood waiting for the door to open. He looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t immediately put a name on him. “Hey John Brooks, long time no see. Invite me in.”
“Do I know you?”
“Sure you do. We were in school together. A class ahead of you at BUHS. I was from Putney so maybe you don’t remember me.”
I tried to place him and it did come to me. “Gordon, ah, Gordon Smith, right?”
“You got it. I smell coffee and I could use a cup.” This person was pushing me and I began to resent him. I opened the door and he brushed by me. He was carrying a briefcase and set it down just inside the door. “Geezus, John, you sleep late. I’ve been sitting in my car across the street waiting for some sign of movement. I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Yeah, and I didn’t expect company today. Is this business or social?”
“Maybe both. I would like to talk to you. It’ll take an hour of your time at most.
“Well I might as well brew a fresh pot of coffee while you tell me what you’re here for.”
“That would work.” He said this, but at first he didn’t enlighten me further. He was looking around and I took the time to observe him while building the pot. He had on a baseball cap, jeans, and a nondescript shirt. The only thing that struck me as out of place were his shoes. They were black and highly polished. This jarred my mind enough to remember that back in the far distant past Gordon had gone on to college and then joined the FBI. All of this happened possibly ten years ago.
“Still with the bureau, I notice.”
“What do you mean? What makes you say that?”
“Your shoes are polished. Nobody polishes their shoes in today’s world. Especially no one from Putney, Vermont.”
“You’re sharp. I’ll have to remember about the shoes.”
“Why don’t you get to why you’re here? You didn’t come to see me to remember old times. Not when we’d only had a speaking acquaintance.”
“Okay, but first let me rattle off some facts about you. You graduated high school eleven years ago and you are twenty-nine now. You were married with one child, losing both in a single car auto accident with your wife driving. You are partner with your older brother in a business that designs, builds and installs factory inventory transfer systems. The business is quite lucrative, giving you and your brother more than an adequate income of approximately eighty thousand a year. How am I doing?”
“Your nickel. It sounds like I have been investigated. I can assure you it is a legitimate business.”
“I agree. Our investigation confirms that it is. Now to your social life: you’re dating three different women all with benefits. If you sleep over, you never stay for breakfast and on the same note, if they sleep over, they never stay for breakfast. You have sworn never to get close enough to another woman where marriage is in anyway suggested. You make that understood by the third date so there is no misunderstanding. Would you care to explain why marriage is off the table?”
“No.”
“No? You must have some good reason.”
“I have, in my own mind, but it is nothing you need to know about.”
“I can guess the reason, but I’ll let that drop for now. I’ll try to get to the point of why I’m here. First let me recap your life just a little more.You work everyday, but you are not in charge of the day-to-day operation in the business. You could take a couple of months off and your business wouldn’t suffer that much.”
“You’re correct in that, and with today’s technology I can stay connected no matter where I am.”
“The proposition I’m leading up to is one where that wouldn’t be possible. It would be one where you would be out of touch completely. The cover is that you would be on vacation. At the end of that time, you would come back and resume your daily work habits. When you return you could tell everyone about the wonderful vacation you had and how you met the love of your life.”
I stared at Gordon and started shaking my head, denying that this was going to happen. “John, there is a little child involved. The government has invested a lot of time on this project. This has to happen in the next few days or an agent may be killed and possibly the child too. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?”
“Damnit, Gordon, cut the bull shit and spell it out.You’ve been dancing around something and all you’ve given me are some hints. Just enough so if I turn this down I’ll feel guilty. I’ll probably turn you down anyway. Get with it. Right now I’m telling you no to whatever you are going to suggest. I’ll only leave the door open just a crack. You can try to convince me to open it up fully, but I doubt it.”
“Okay, John, now I have your attention. I knew after we looked at you this was going to be difficult. My superiors just ordered me to do it and I said I would try.”
“Keep talking. You still haven’t given me anything. You’re going about this all wrong. Spell it out or get out.” I think now I had Gordon’s attention.
“John, this is the FBI’s protection program I’m referring to. We’ve built a background for a woman, but we are afraid it isn’t enough. We have taken an orphan child out of social services to be with the witness, but still it isn’t enough. We need another level of safety for her. She could be killed if she is found. We think adding a husband, a child and a change of name will do it. I’m here to convince you.”
“It’s a damn poor way you’ve gone about it. I’ll listen, but I won’t promise anything until you explain it all.” I stopped and looked at Gordon. He was weighing what he was going to say. “That is if you ever really get to it.”
“Fair enough. In a capsule, it’s this: Homeland Security and various other agencies worked this person into a terrorist cell years ago and she has been working undercover for the last four years. You know those leaks that have been happening? Well, we realized early on that she may have been outed. When this was confirmed, a five-man team went in and got her out of there. This happened a few months ago. We lost two men because the terrorists were waiting for them. The agent was also wounded, but has survived. Now we need to find a permanent protective cover for her.”
“How old is she?”
“She’s twenty-seven. She is so paranoid she claims she probably won’t see twenty-eight. The bureau has retired her and we need to put her somewhere far away from her former life.”
“Was she in and out of the country? I’m asking, would she be recognized if she traveled to certain areas here in this country?”
“Definitely.”
“Just what was her job, anyway?”
“She worked mainly as a courier between the U.S. and the Mideast by way of Spain. She was pretty damned visible and that was intended. By the terrorist's thinking if she was visible she must be just a tourist and just what she appeared to be. She’s never been to New England. Her travel was always from the District of Columbia and points south.”
“So what is it you want from me?”
“John, it isn’t what is wanted, but what is needed. This woman served her country extremely well and saved untold American lives in her capacity as an undercover agent. We believe her terrorist cell has been wiped out. The problem lies with the parent organization. They want her dead. You would be serving your country if you would take her on as your wife and the child that she brings with her. Everything is in place for the child to be adopted. This would take place at the time of your wedding. This makes the cover deeper.”
“So what you are trying to convince me of is my gaining a wife and child within the next two months. Why don’t you just have them move in with me?”
“Not safe enough. The plan would be for you to take on a false identity and get married under an established false identity. You both would be secreted in a safe house. You would then marry using your real name and the child would join you at this time. This should cut her trail to the bad guys forever. They won’t be looking for a married woman with child and living in a community where she apparently grew up. In essence, two levels of security. We have the paperwork already generated to make this happen.”
“Why would this take two months?”
“Because she has a distinctive southern drawl that she should get rid of. We would want the child to bond with you and your wife by calling you Mommy and Daddy. You would have to settle on a common background. We expect that in two months time she can eliminate her southern roots and take on New England ones. If she is ever looked at they will see she knows the history and events that have happened around this area. She’ll be good at that. She is quite intelligent and will pick it up very quickly.”
“What’s her name and where was she originally from?”
“That’s something that is better you don’t know.”
“So after we learn all of this we will be acting as husband and wife and all that goes with it?”
“Of course. She really will be your wife. Your marriage will be a true marriage. Not one in name only.”
“Can I at least see a picture of her before I agree to this?”
“Sure. More importantly you should look at the child. My superiors worked hard to choose a child that was similar in looks like the one you lost.”
“You really want to tear me apart don’t you? I think I’ll pass.”
“You can’t. Your country needs you. Think what will happen to that woman if she is found? She already has had three bullet holes drilled in her and has survived. The government needs to get her into an environment where she is safe for the rest of her life. Think of the child if not the woman. The child is an orphan and we’ve already taken her from the institution.”
“You bastards have a lot to account for. It is you who should be thinking of the child and what you have done to her. I’d say the woman was expendable, but not the child.”
“You can save them both.” Gordon and I had a staring contest. He won.
“Let me see the picture of the child.” I examined the picture intently. This three-year-old-girl looked so much like my lost little one it sent shivers up my spine. “Now let me look at the woman.” I fully expected this person would resemble my wife, but here I was greatly mistaken. The woman in the picture was very thin and pale. She had a sad, hopeless look on her face.
The woman was dressed in a blue cotton gown which had no style. It was just something to cover her and I suspected it was something furnished by the recovery staff. It was difficult to tell if there was any womanly shape to her at all. Gordon handed me one more picture. This had to have been one before she had been shot. She was dressed in jeans and a maroon top. She wasn’t overly endowed but that made little difference to me. The jeans were rounded out nicely and the rest of her appeared adequate. I made up my mind.
Gordon took my acceptance in stride, just as if I had agreed when I first opened the door an hour ago. “You will leave Boston for Chicago tomorrow afternoon at four. There will be a seatmate with you. Keep any discussion low if you speak to him. Better if you don’t hold any conversation other than the weather. When you reach O’Hare he will walk ahead of you and there will be a vehicle ready to pick you up. Follow your seatmate into it. Can you get to Boston in time for the flight?”
“I’ll have to get my brother to transport me. How long before I leave here and how will I be traveling? I’m always flying off somewhere on short notice. My brother and my mother expect it. Todd drives me and I take a bus home when I return.”
“Your mother is still living? I wasn’t aware.”
“Just goes to show, you aren’t perfect. One thing, you better have the woman cut her hair. A shoulder-length pageboy is pretty distinctive. Maybe have the child with her for the haircut and if the little girl wants a cut at the same time like her mother, that would help them bond.”
“Aren’t you going to ask names for mother and daughter? He was grinning as he said this.”
“Why? I’m assuming they are all false. Maybe not the little girl’s. I hope you haven’t given her my dead daughter’s name.”
“We aren’t that insensitive.”
“Thank you for that. I’ll make sure my brother can drive me to the airport. We can discuss the company business at that time. I’ll go see my mother this afternoon and tell her I’m leaving. I’ll tell my dad, but he won’t pay attention. There is a ball game on this afternoon.”
“You seem to have everything covered. Here are the tickets for your flight.You haven’t asked about what the government is paying you for remuneration.”
I smiled at Gordon. “I would suspect they will pay me anything I ask for within reason. I’ll take it up with your superiors. I doubt you have the power to haggle.”
Gordon was shaking his head. “You’d make a good agent. Being an agent takes attitude and you seem to have a lot of it. Anyway, I’m supposed to hand you $3,500. It will be two months before you return. That will cover your monthly expenses here on your home. It is made out to your company. My superiors will explain why. Something about not burdening you with extra taxes. Oh, and leave your credit card home. You won’t need it. Here’s one you can use. ”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll leave now. I don’t know if I will see you again. I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. John, you are doing the right thing for your country and I have faith it will be for you too.”
“You had better get to hell out of here, Gordon, before I change my mind about this.”
I called my brother and asked him to come see me. “I’m busy. I’ll see you tomorrow at the shop.”
“Todd, I need you to see me now. This is urgent.”
“You in trouble of some sort?”
“Maybe. I can’t tell you much, but I do need to see you.”
“Okay, put the coffee on.” I could always count on Todd.
Twenty minutes later, “Hey Todd, thanks for coming. Coffee is poured.”
“Good. What’s got your shorts in a bind?”
“Todd, I had a visitor this morning. He was a government man. He has asked me to do something for the country. That’s about all I can tell you. Also I need you to get me to the airport in Boston by two tomorrow afternoon. I think I’ll be gone about two months. I’ll be talking to Mom and Dad and telling them I’ll be on a vacation paid for by one of our clients. I want you to back me up on this.”
“Where are you flying to?”
“The Midwest. After that I don’t know.”
“It doesn’t sound like you know much about this?”
“I don’t but it is something I have to do. I also need you to keep my house up. I may not be able to tell you just when I’m coming home. I have a check here to pay my bills. It is made out to both of us c/o the Material Handling Company. I’ll give it to you now.” I scribbled my signature and handed it over.
Todd peered at it. “Why is it made out to us jointly?”
“Probably to confuse anyone who might question me. I can say it was to pay a bill for services rendered. Just deposit it. I’m sure it will clear.”
“This is some of that damned cloak and dagger stuff isn’t it?”
“More than you want to know. I’m going over to spend the afternoon with Mom and Dad. I’ll pack a satchel tonight and we’ll leave for Boston before noon tomorrow.You can drop me off at the airport and come right home if you want to. I’ll need to go through security and get the boarding pass.”
“You’re sure you won’t tell me more?”
“I’m sure. Anyway it doesn’t concern you that much.”
“Okay, I’ll let it go.” That was my brother. We’ve always had a good relationship no matter whatever we each were involved in.
I went over to my parents early in the afternoon. The first thing Mom asked was if I would stay for supper and I said I would. “Invite Todd and Mary and the kids. I’m all set to go on vacation tomorrow. Todd is taking me to the airport. I have tickets for a city out west. When I reach there, I’m going to rent a car and travel around and see the sites.”
“John, that’s great. It is about time you got away from here and broadened your horizons.You might even meet someone. Someone who will make you put the loss of family behind you.”
“I doubt it, Mom, but it could change. I’ve pretty much come to grips with the past.”
“Maybe that’s good, but you do need someone to make you forget. You know all of these women you have been dating are soon going to give up on you … and then where will you be?”
“Mom, we’ve gone over this before. Let it be.” I wasn’t giving out any hints of what had been set out for me. If I showed up with a child who called me Daddy my mother would be happy. She was as crushed as I was when her granddaughter died.
I naturally thought a lot of Todd and Mary’s two kids and they thought a lot of me. The boy, Todd Junior, was seven and the girl Ginny, was almost ten. Mary worked out for a few hours a day. She arranged her schedule so she was home most of the time when the kids were. I often helped them with their homework after supper if Mary and Todd wanted to do something together. I was going to miss them during these next two months.
Mary was a little upset that I was going on vacation for so long and told me that next year it was Todd’s turn to have an extended vacation. I agreed that it was a good idea and I would take over his duties. I said goodbye to Mom and Dad. Todd was staying a little longer. I knew Mom would try to find out more about my sudden decision to go on vacation. She wouldn’t learn much. I could look forward to at least one more inquiring phone call from Mom before I left because she was a person who just had to know.
I went home, packed underwear, a couple of shirts, a pair of kaki shorts and one pair of dress pants. If I needed a suit and I well might, I would buy one off the rack. I would wear jeans and a tee shirt to travel in. I was going casual.
I went to bed fairly early. Gordon had left the pictures of the woman I was to marry and spend the rest of my life with. I soon put these aside and lay looking at the little girl. I had lost mine when she was three and this one looked about the same age. Tears came to my eyes. Gordon had said this little girl was an orphan. God, she must be lost and lonely. I went to sleep with the picture of her in my hand.
On the way to Boston, Todd said, “You don’t seem too excited about going on vacation.”
“Todd, don’t ask questions. I’ll tell you what I can when I return. I’ll caution you and the rest of the family that some of what I’ll be …” Then I hesitated. “No I’m not going to tell you anything now. You’ll just have to wait.”
“Okay, if I have to I will. Mary is going to make my life hell with her questions though.”
“I suppose, but I can’t help it.” After that we discussed what Todd would have ahead of him in keeping the business going for the next two months.
I was more than an hour early so I bought a book from the rack to pass the time. I was a fast reader so knew I would finish it by the time my flight set down at O’Hare. I kept my eye on the different people who were waiting to board. I couldn’t pick anyone out that would be my seatmate. I did have to check my bag because it was too big for a carry-on. I had a window seat. Just before the plane was ready to fly a man, sixty, rumpled suit, white scraggly hair slid in next to me on the aisle. He just nodded, but didn’t speak.
I turned to my book until we started down the runway and then I watched as we rose into the sky. I spent fifteen minutes looking down at the distant ground and horizon and went back to my book. No word at all from the man next to me.
Just as we were descending he asked, “Luggage?”
“One bag.”
“I’ll wait while you pick it up and then you are to follow me at a distance. Get into the same SUV right after me.” I nodded that I understood the directions. My bag was one of the first on the carousel and I picked it up looking around for my guy. He was thirty feet away and he started walking. When we reached the front area, a black vehicle with tinted side windows pulled up and he got into the front seat. The back passenger door was opened from the inside and I slid in. No word was said.
The driver was a young man, dressed much like I was. We pulled away immediately. There was a woman sitting beside me. She looked to be not much older than my twenty-nine. Her first words were to query me, “How are you set for the restroom? We have a two-hour trip give or take.”
“I’m good for that long. I went on the plane.”
“Fine. Before we get to the next stop, I’m going to change your looks and I’ll be asking you to wear a blindfold for a half hour before we reach our destination. We’re taking you to one of our safe houses. This isn’t to protect you so much, because you aren’t in any danger, but to protect others who might have to use the house. Not necessary for you to know the location.”
“I understand.”
The man in front that sat beside me turned to me, asked, “I noticed you finished the book you were reading. May I have it?”
I was feeling cute. “Sure you can have it. You can check my fingerprints and probably you can lift some DNA if you need to.” The three were silent. The driver looked into the rear view mirror and the guy in front stared back at me. I glanced at the woman beside me. I smiled at her and said in a gravelly voice, “Just kidding, lady.”
“Looks like we have a joker here. I was informed your name is John. So Johnny, would you like to explain why you are so lighthearted?”
“Hey, why wouldn’t I be? I’m about to be married and I’m soon to meet a little girl who looks much like the one I lost. You people have given me a chance for a do-over. Why wouldn’t I be lighthearted?”
“So, it’s the child and not the woman you are interested in. Gordon said he wondered about why you changed your mind so suddenly.”
“Oh, the woman is part of it and I may not love her as much as I did my wife, but I can treat her with respect and be nice. That is as long as she is a good mother to my new daughter.”
“You’re a strange person.”
“Well, this is kind of a strange situation I’ve found myself in isn’t it? I don’t think anyone knows how it will play out yet. I get the idea that there is some danger involved, no matter what you say. I get married under a false name and then I disappear and immediately get married again using my own name before even becoming acquainted with someone I’m expected to spend my life with. Gordon told me this little girl is an orphan and hasn’t ever had any parents to love and care for her.
“I know I can be a good father to her and I’m willing to go a long way for the woman. From what little I’ve been told, I’m guessing this person has never done any parenting, so I’m looking forward to showing her how to be a good mother. What do you know about her?”
“I know she is intelligent and the last several weeks have been mighty rough on her. She was wounded and one of the terrorists she worked with was someone she had drawn close to. We think he was the first one killed. Whether that will affect your relationship, I have no idea. You will have to deal with it though.”
“That fact was kept from me. This might make our being married a bit difficult.”
“You’ll have two months to sort it out. Don’t give up before you even meet her. I was just warning you so you won’t say something that will drive her to dislike you.
“You mean like if I declared I hate all terrorists and there never was a good one. Years ago people used to say that the only good Indian was a dead one. Something like that?”
“You are very perceptive.”
“Thank you for telling me. What have you told her about me?”
“She has been told that you are a really nice person and that she would come to love you after a period of time. You can take it from there. Are you surprised by any of this?”
“No, not really because there are always some facts omitted and I knew there would be. One more question. What happens if we are incompatible and can’t get along?”
“That will be for your handler to sort out if you can’t get along. Meeting you, and talking with you for these few moments, I don’t believe there will be any problem. This woman knows she needs to keep out of the spotlight so she will be trying nearly as hard as you to make a go of it. You have to remember her protection will be totally in your hands.”
“I think I can do that.”
“It’s time to put your blindfold on. First I’m going to fit you with a wig and put a mustache on you. I’m good at this so you’ll look quite natural. Three hours from now you will be a married man. A retired judge will officiate and the wedding will be recorded.”
“I’m not wearing anything suitable.”
“A suit in your size is waiting on you when we first arrive. The ring will be in your pocket. You will meet your child two days from now. That will give you time to become familiar with your wife.”
“Just how familiar am I supposed to be?”
“That’s entirely up to you. I hope you won’t be boorish and I have faith you won’t be.”
“Question: Am I going to get to know you more than just during this ride? I’d like to become your friend.”
“My husband wouldn’t approve. And no, I won’t be seeing you after the first month.”
“Would you tell me your name or do you go by ‘Nice Lady?’” I was intrigued with this woman. And just a little sorry she was married. Her husband had to be one lucky person.
“I guess it had better stay as ‘Nice Lady.’ You are a charmer though.” She handed me a curly black wig to put on. She went about making sure it fitted over my natural hair. Where a few strands escaped, she took shears and snipped them off.
Then she picked a mustache out of the case she was holding her lap. The color was identical to my wig and when it was affixed she trimmed it neatly. She colored my eyebrows. “This will rinse right out. Luckily it won’t be warm enough to sweat and make the color run. Now I have to have you put on the blindfold. I hope you aren’t claustrophobic?”
“No, I don’t think so.” I put the mask over my eyes and ‘Nice Lady’ made sure it was adjusted properly so I couldn’t see. I sat back and relaxed. I had no way of telling, but it seemed like a pretty lengthy time before I could feel the vehicle slow down and pull into a driveway. I heard a garage door opener and shortly we drove forward. My door car opened and I was helped out. I thought my blindfold would be removed, but it wasn’t.
I was guided forward. “Put your right hand out and you will find a hand rail. You have four steps up.” I knew I was entering into a kitchen when I was urged forward. It smelled like roasting chicken. Still the blindfold wasn’t removed. My guide, whom I thought was still the nice lady, kept me going. I sensed there were other people in the room I was being walked through.
“Hi Caitlin, back already?”
“Shut your mouth. You know you aren’t supposed to name any names. Now he knows what my name is. Keep it up and I’ll have you tossed back out into the cold. I can only save your ass if you do exactly what I tell you.”
I now knew what the nice lady’s name was. I also knew I wasn’t alone in the safe house. Other people were quartered here. I was walked down a hallway and into a room where I was told to sit. This time I was told I could remove the mask over my eyes. “Okay, you can change your clothes now. They are in the closet. I didn’t realize that you would be seen when I brought you in. I had better change your disguise again. I’ll make sure you aren’t seen going out. I’ll be back in a minute. We’ll be leaving again soon.”
“Why bother? I take it I won’t be returning here.”
There was a half-bath and I used that for relief. I wanted to take a shower, but there was none here. I must have been nervous because I had perspired some and the weather was warm. My satchel was by the door. I dug out some unscented deodorant and I did take the time to change my underwear before donning the shirt that I found hanging under the grey suit jacket with the trousers. Black shoes were on the floor beneath the suit. I looked at myself in the mirror. Not too shabby!
Almost as soon as I was dressed, Caitlin opened the door. She had another wig and mustache that matched the new wig. “Really Caitlin, this isn’t necessary. I’m in disguise already.”
“I guess you’re right and we have to get going. We’re behind schedule. Never mind the blindfold if you promise not to look around and will forget anything you see.”
“I can do that. What’s next?”
“Back into the vehicle and on to your wedding. We have twenty-five minutes to get there.” The rooms we went through to get to the car were now empty.
“Okay, let’s go. I’m anxious to be married.”
Caitlin stopped me and said. “John, you can kid about this wedding all you want to because it is a throw-away event. The next one in two days is an actual one. You should be serious since it could last you a lifetime.”
“I do understand all of this. I just try for a little humor sometimes and I guess I was being facetious.”
“Actually John, you are very good to work with. You are some different than many of the assholes that come through here. I think the woman whom you are marrying will find she is a lucky person. Just don’t forget that she deserves the best for what she has done for our country. She was one of our top operatives and we were lucky to save her. In a way you are the prize she won for her dedication.”
“Caitlin, I think I’m going to keep thinking of you as that nice lady. By the way, what is your last name?”
“Caitlin Bluth is my name.” I was asked to put my head down between my legs as we pulled out of the garage. When I was told it was okay, I sat back in the seat with my eyes closed. I was trying to keep Caitlin thinking I was a nice guy too.
We were moving along city streets and finally the traffic diminished. We soon pulled into a driveway. “We’re here John.” I looked about. We were sitting next to a two story house with a light on by the back door. Again we entered through a kitchen, passing by a dining room and then we entered into a big room with a fireplace. There was a Bible stand off to one side.
Just then a door opened and the woman who was to be my wife walked in with a man I took to be one of the agents. Caitlin was looking at me and spoke. “Burtrum, Sandy is now ready to join you as your wife. Randall, the man beside her will be your witness. I’ll be Sandy’s. The judge will be in to marry you in a minute. Sandy has her engagement ring on and Burt, you can dig out your wedding rings. Burtrum Polk, meet Sandra Cassidy. I have the license in hand.” I didn’t have time to more than glance at my soon-to-be wife, before she took her place beside me.
Caitlin walked across the room and knocked on the door. A doddering old man came out. He had a few papers in his hand and I could see they were in large print. This was apparently the wedding ceremony. The service was a disaster. The judge dropped the papers and we had to wait to have them picked up and returned to him. Of course they were out of order and he repeated some of the words twice. But I guess we were married, or would have been if this were a true wedding.
We were now man and wife. “Mr. and Mrs. Polk you may kiss.” I brushed Sandy’s lips with mine and hugged her lightly. I then turn to Caitlin and hugged her while Sandy hugged Randall. I shook his hand and Sandy and Caitlin clung together momentarily. I’d guess they knew each other. We thanked the judge and he wished us a happy future. We returned to our vehicle. Sandy was now sitting beside me. Her hand came over and held mine.
“Burt and Sandy, I have ordered a wedding dinner at the hotel for you. Your room has been reserved for tonight and tomorrow night. It is late for the dining room, so you will have to consume it in your own room. I’ll leave you alone to get acquainted and I’ll be seeing you at checkout time the following day.”
As we got out of the vehicle, Caitlin said our luggage had been delivered to our room. We entered and I went to the desk for our key card. I was informed that our dinner would arrive in twenty minutes. I had my first chance to look at my wife in the elevator. I knew the glasses she wore were probably for disguise. She was dressed in an off-white sheath that didn’t fit well and she didn’t fill much of it out either. Her hair color was much different than what she had in the picture that Gordon had shown me.
I began to smile and was challenged, “What are you laughing at?”
"I'm not laughing at you. I was just wondering what we are going to look like when our disguises are removed.”
Sandy then smiled with me. “I was wondering the same. Sometimes I wonder what I look like myself. I’ve had my looks changed so many times I wonder if there is any true me. I certainly will look different when my health improves.”
“What is the long term prognosis?”
“Bodily functions will be normal. Looks not so much … that is, when I keep the scars from showing. They won’t bother me that much, but they will generate some questions and comments you might have to answer. You will be asked why you would marry such an ugly person.”
“We can work up a story to cover the questions, I’m sure. It will be up to you. Here’s our floor.”
We had a nice large room and our clothes, what few we had with us, had been unpacked. Just as soon as we looked around, Sandy excused herself and went into the bathroom. When she came out, I used it.
“So what now?”
“Sandy, we are both hungry. Let’s put off any serious discussion until that is finished. Maybe we should wait until morning because I’m quite weary. It has been a long day and I suspect I’m somewhat jet-lagged.”
“You mean we aren’t going to consummate our wedding status tonight? I thought you would want to do so immediately.”
“I’m good. I had sex last Saturday. If I had known I was going to be suddenly married so soon, I wouldn’t have made the date with the woman.”
“Was she a special someone?”
“No, just a good friend. You’ll meet her at some point. Neither of you should be jealous.”
“Are you a jealous person? There are some things in my past that could cause you pain if you knew about them. However, they were all job related and you shouldn’t be jealous.”
“Fair enough.” Just then our meal arrived. It was a full meal, with appetizers, wine, a small whole chicken, three sides, coffee, and a cheesecake for dessert. When we were satiated, I leaned back and sighed. “That was a really fine meal. Better than I’ve received at most wedding receptions I’ve attended.”
“I’ve forgotten. It has been years since I attended one. I’ve been out of circulation for many years. I’ll pack up the dirty dishes and you can wheel the cart out into the hall. I’m going to get ready for bed soon.”
“I’ll see if I can find some news on TV. Take your time.” I sat in the recliner thinking about this woman who was my so-called wife and who was soon to be for real. I hadn’t seen anything in her makeup that would grate on me. I hadn’t seen anything that turned me on that much either. She was friendly in a distant sort of way. Well, maybe I was, too.
When Sandy came out she was wearing a robe. What she had on under it I couldn’t tell. I showered. I did remove my wig and was careful about not getting my mustache too wet. I wasn’t cautioned about it, but didn’t know how solidly it was affixed. I put on a clean tee and wore new briefs when I crawled in next to my so-called wife.
Chapter Two
I woke up at five o’clock. I had to go to the bathroom. I raised my head to see if Sandy was asleep. She wasn’t in the bed and then I heard the toilet flush. I opened my eyes a slit and watched her return. She hadn’t put on her robe and I could see she had on a shorty nightgown.
Her legs were pencil thin as were her arms. Her hair was long and blonde, but in the picture I had been shown she was dark with a pageboy. “Burt, get up and go to the bathroom. And don’t pretend you didn’t watch me parade across the room in front of you. Remember I’m a trained operative and I notice things.”
I grinned. “I can see married to you would be hell if I wanted to cheat on you. How did you know?”
“You had moved your head halfway around and there was a tiny glint from the light on your eyeballs. I spoke softly so if you had really been asleep you wouldn’t have answered.” I was halfway across the room when she spoke again.
“Burt.”
I turned and Sandy looked me over. “Well, I must say you have some good-sized equipment, enough to give me satisfying experiences.” And then she giggled. I looked down and my briefs were tented out considerably, the same as any man’s would be in the morning. Hm-m. Maybe I would get a little bit interested in this woman.
I crawled back into bed with Sandy. Her hand came over searching for mine. “Burt, I have the feeling you are somewhat uptight about sex. This situation that has been thrust onto you is much like a one-night stand. I think you like to get to know a person first before you consider being intimate. Let me tell you I often had to be just the opposite. Many times I was told, and I quote, ‘Woman, you’re in my bed tonight.’ I was expected to be there, and with never a chance to argue. I accepted it because to do my job well I had to.”
“That’s terrible!”
“Yes, wasn’t it? Oh in case you are worried about sex with me, health-wise, I’m clean and have no diseases.”
“That worry hadn’t crossed my mind.”
“It should’ve, but I’m not criticizing you. I don’t expect you to be as worldly as I’ve had to be, much of which I long to forget and put behind me. From all reports you have your own strengths.”
“Such as and what are they?”
“Honestly, being in charge of a little three-year-old child scares the devil out of me. I’m going to have to depend on you to show me the way so I get it right. I don’t want her to hate me.”
“Oh, if she is anywhere normal, just think back to when you were a little child. What made you happy? Trade on your memories of that time.You can’t give her everything she will want and you’ll have to decide if something is good for her or not. I’ll help with discipline.”
“And how would I do that? You’ll be working.”
“You could say something like, ‘Annie, when Daddy comes home we’ll ask him if you can do this or if you can have something.’ We’ll all decide together. You will soon get the hang of it. There are hundreds of books telling you what or how you should treat a child. I’d like to discuss them with you. But remember the author was trying to sell a book and the ideas might be just a fad. Every child is different, so every situation may have a different answer.”
“So I’m to follow you in all things?”
“Absolutely not. You will probably be better at some things than I will. Even our daughter should be included in decisions, but she will have to understand that her parents have the final say. When she reaches adulthood she will have the expertise to make decisions on her own.
“That’s better than what I went through these last four years. I wasn’t much more than a slave. In fact I was a slave to the desires of the leaders of the cell I was in. I was told by the FBI or the CIA what to look for and how to decide whether I thought it was dangerous for me or not. And I had to do the bidding of those people I was spying on. Remember a courier is the lowest person in a cell of terrorists.”
“How in hell did you stand it? More importantly how did you survive?”
“I almost didn’t. Here let me have your hand. These scars I’m going to run your fingers over happened a little over three months ago.” Sandy turned so my fingers ran over her left butt cheek. I felt a knob of puckered flesh. “Bullet entered here.” Then she lay on her back and took my fingers down between her thighs. I felt a ridge of flesh about three inches long. “Bullet crease.” Then she lay on her left side and I could feel where another round had gone into her side above her hip bone.
She kept hold of my hand, turned, and ran it over where the bullet had exited her side in the rear and the one where it came out of her ass cheek. “Those were the bullet wounds. There is one more scar. This was a ricochet that about mangled my right breast above my nipple. It looks worse than it actually is, but it still looks like hell. Let’s hope there aren’t twins in your family, because if there are, I won’t be able to feed both at the same time.
“So this all makes me damaged goods for sure. I told those bastards who shot me that they were going to have to find me a husband because no man would marry me looking like I am.”
“It was our people who shot you?”
“You bet. I suppose after seeing the way I look, you will be wanting out.”
“No, I need a mother for my new daughter. We both are on this train and I’m not ready to get off yet.”
“I was hoping you would say that. Let’s take a nap and get up about eight for breakfast.” Sandy turned over and then reached back and dragged my arm over her. She gave her skinny butt a little twitch against me and was soon asleep.
I thought, “God, my life had been a piece of cake so far. Not like the woman snuggled up to me.” Then I thought of my dead wife and baby, well maybe not a piece of cake. I had got beyond tears over their death, but the sadness still visited me at times like this.
Sandy’s eyes were open and looking at me when I opened mine. “Burt, I remembered from last night you said ‘Annie’ when you referred to the child. Is there particularly any reason for that?”
“No, my daughter’s name was Leanne and we nicknamed her Leah. I couldn’t use that so I came up with Annie.”
“What was your wife’s name?”
“Benita. She always thought that went well with Brooks.”
“Is that your real name?”
“Yep, plain old John Brooks. I have a brother Todd and his wife is Mary and they have two children. My parents live near us in the same town in the state of Vermont.”
“I was from Louisiana originally. Father and mother are dead and I was an only child. I think I still have a cousin in the area, but I haven’t contacted him since I joined the company. He was told that I am dead. That’s okay because we were never close.”
“And your name?”
“Not necessary for you to know, but as long as we are being open, it was Jane Boudette. I only spoke French until I got into kindergarten. I’m pretty good with languages and now speak several fluently.”
“So it will be no problem dropping your southern accent then?” First thing I new I was speaking with a woman with a Boston accent. I questioned why I was told she would need two months to learn to change.
“Probably so the three of us can bond together into a family unit. I’m due for a vacation, so I guess I’ll have to drag you and the kid along with me. How long has it been since you have had a vacation?”
“Not since Bernita and Leah died. I haven’t arranged to have the money for this yet. When I see Gordon’s superiors I’ll find out what we can do. I need money to take care of you and the child. Gordon is the one who recruited me for this.”
“Don’t worry about money. I’ve never drawn any pay. I have four years of back salary coming. I’m reasonably well-off for what I did for the Agency and what they did to mess up my looks.”
“Does this mean I’m going to have to change my lifestyle a whole lot?”
“I don’t think so. I will be happy just to disappear into the background somewhere and forget how I earned the money. And I did earn it too.”
“I believe you have. Hey, let’s have breakfast. Do you want to order in or go out?”
“I’m hungry so let’s find an IHOP. There must be one near.” I called a taxi.
I was going to use my credit card to pay the tab, but Sandy thrust cash into my hand. “Think Burt, what you are doing. If you use your card, that tells anyone interested that you, John Brooks, was here in this state on this day at this time in the morning.” Then she whispered, “I don’t know any John Brooks. Do you?”
“Damn, I’ll never make a good agent, that’s for sure. Sandy, this was a card they gave me. I left my own at home.”
“Yes, but remember every move you make may not be important in the moment, but it can come back and kill you sometime in the future. It might even kill me. You’ll learn if it takes me all of two months to teach you.”
“Sorry.” My life was getting complicated.
When we came out we were on a street of shops and boutiques. We walked by a jewelry store. I paused and peered in the window before we passed it. Sandy started on. I went inside. I saw a tray of silver plate animals that could be strung on a chain. I bought two with chains. They cost twenty-two dollars total. Sandy had waited outside.
“I hope you remembered about using your card?”
“I did. I brought some cash with me.”
“What did you purchase?”
“A present for you and one for our child. They are big enough so they can’t be choked on. You’ll be asked to wear yours at times so the little girl can wear hers. Now we have to find a couple of dolls. A soft one she can cuddle and a china one that is real pretty that she can stare at and make up stories about.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“That is the way Bernita played with Leah.”
“Oh, I have so much to learn.”
“You’ll get it.You just have to make her happy and she will love you forever. It will be up to you to make things for her, doll clothes and stuff like that.”
“We’ll be meeting her tomorrow. I’m so excited.”
“You know I’ve projected what I want her to be like, but she might be just a little brat. If she is we’ll love her anyway won’t we?”
“Yes, we will.”
I learned a little more during the day about how Sandy was shot and where it happened. It took place in Spain. Recently there had been several bombings and a lot of unrest in that country. The CIA had been collaborating with their counterparts by tracking several of the terrorists. Our agency had discovered that the leaks at NSA had left Sandy exposed. They rushed in trying to extract her.
However, she was mistaken for one of the cell members and had been shot and hit during the exchange of gunfire. Luckily, she had been able to identify herself, although gravely wounded.
I harked back to what Gordon Smith had said about Sandy being paranoid and didn’t expect to see twenty-eight years. So I asked about that.
“That was just made-up bullshit to get whoever they chose to be my husband convinced he was going to be saving my life.” She realized what she had just revealed and a worried look crossed her face. “Burt, or Johnny or whatever your name is, you’re going to continue aren’t you? Nothing has really changed.”
“Yeah, I’ll hang in there with you. But that is only because you are the most interesting person I’ve ever met. And of course there is Annie.”
“Good, I’m planning on making your life even more interesting. You’re a pretty good guy. Johnny, what if the child’s name is Bridget or something different than Annie?”
“We’ll call her Bridget. What’s in a name?”
We spent the day walking around getting acquainted. We walked through a museum and went into one of the theaters to see a movie. It didn’t hold our interest so we got up and left. We walked by a retro soda fountain and shared a cherry coke. We giggled over this like a couple of teenagers. After dinner in a fairly nice restaurant, we returned to our room.
“Let’s do a little work.”
“What do you mean? What work?”
“We should work on your southern accent. You’ll forget and we have to have a plausible excuse for you speaking that way occasionally. We should have more of a cover story too of how we met and fell in love. That’s for what we tell my folks. Those scars are going to be seen sometime and we should have something besides the truth to tell about how you acquired them.”
“Okay, but can we do it while lying in the bed? I think that would be a great place to work on all of these weighty matters.”
“That calls for a shower.”
“You first then.” I showered and thought about our situation while waiting for Sandy.
When she slid into bed, I didn’t hesitate to tell her what I had been thinking. “I think we should have the FBI build you a past that said you had been injured in combat. You can deal with the background before your service by keeping close to or as far from the truth as you wish.”
“Boy, I thought you would have something else on your mind and we would be dealing with this afterward.”
“Nope, we should do it now. That will leave the rest of the night for other stuff. Besides we aren’t really married and there isn’t any real need to consummate it tonight.”
“I guess you’re just being difficult.Your agenda seems to be much different than mine.”
“Let’s do it my way. You can ask me in the morning if you are sorry I held you off.”
“Okay, but right now I’m not happy about it. I get horny. You’ll find that out. Where were we? Okay, cover story about my injuries … your ideas have merit. I’ll go along with your suggestion. Next?”
“Just a question; do you anticipate any of the terrorists searching for you?”
“No, I believe they are all dead. This cell was pretty much on their own with only money and some help coming in from a bigger group. I think there were considered independent contractors. I suppose I do know where some of the other groups are located. I carried messages to them all several times. All of that information should be in the hands of the CIA by now.”
“It seems like the government is going to a lot of trouble to hide you. Do they know something that you don’t? Take this throw-away marriage we are in. That’s pretty elaborate. Tomorrow Burt and Sandy are going to disappear. And John Brooks is going to be married to a woman he doesn’t even know what her name is yet.”
“Burt, are you getting cold feet about marrying me?”
“No, of course not. Look what I’m getting when I marry you? I’m getting to marry one of the country’s foremost spies, although slightly damaged and I’m going to have a child whom I’m sure I will love to replace some of the sadness that has plagued my life. I just wonder why I have to jump through so many hoops.”
“As far as being a foremost spy, that’s bullshit and you know it. Half the time I don’t know when you are serious. Marrying me will be worth it, I promise. And please have faith in your country. Now let me ask you a question; are you interested in my body at all? You haven’t seen it yet.”
“Is this the time to inspect it?”
“I would think so. I’ve been hinting around long enough. I’m beginning to think you aren’t interested.”
“Prepare to be inspected.” I went about examining my wife. All of her wounds were still an angry red. And she told me it would take months and months for them to fade. I examined her breast that had been wounded. Except for the surface skin being gnarled and rough, it seemed as if the underlying flesh was okay.
“I may have misled you somewhat. The doctors did tell me there was a ninety percent chance that it would produce some milk if I became pregnant. The nipple isn’t damaged at all.” I leaned into the nipple and took it between my lips, twirling my tongue over and around it. Immediately a moan of pleasure escaped from Sandy.
“I do believe it will be fine.” Sandy was extremely underweight. Maybe being that way brought all the nerves to the skin’s surface because everywhere I touched brought forth the same. I asked what her weight was normally and was informed she usually carried thirty-five more pounds. Sandy was getting worked up from my ministrations and it wasn’t long before she asked me to make love to her. I was as ready as she.
This wasn’t an extended love session. Sandy didn’t have the stamina and almost immediately afterward she was sound asleep. It took me awhile longer, but I went to sleep with a satisfied smile on my face.
I came awake with kisses. “Good morning, my husband.”
“Good morning to you, my wife. What do you think? We are going to be married for real within a few days. I’m more than willing and I’m glad I agreed to this.”
“You say the nicest things, and I know you are going to make me very happy. I’m hungry. I have to get some meat on this bag of bones and the only way I can do that is for you to feed me.” We went down to the dining room for breakfast and dawdled over our meal.
“I suppose we should pack up. Caitlin didn’t say exactly when she would be coming to get us.” Sandy laughed. “It is almost time for Burt and Sandy to disappear. The next stage of our life is opening shortly.”
I asked, “I wonder if we will be meeting our child today?”
“She is always on your mind, isn’t she?”
“I guess. Can you blame me?” Sandy shook her head.
We didn’t have long to wait. Caitlin and the man who had driven the vehicle before were at the door by 10:30. “Peter will take your bags down. All that is left is to leave your key at the desk. It seems you two are getting along okay.”
I answered, “We are. We have a lot of questions about what’s next for us.”
“I understand. John, are you ready to go forward and get married to Sandy and meet the child who is to become your daughter?”
“I am and the sooner the better for me.”
“That’s good. How about you, Sandy?”
“No worry about getting married to John. I am more anxious about being a mother to the little girl. I haven’t been around children very much.”
“Don’t let that bother you, John will fill you in until you are comfortable. He has a niece and nephew who adore him. He went to Lamaze classes with his first wife and learned early on how to take care of his child. This little girl will have a nurse with her when you first meet.
“You can ask the nurse any question about her preferences and what makes her happy or upsets her. The nurse will stay and tuck her into bed tonight. The home she is coming from is relatively small and was well staffed. I’ll wager before the day is over the child will have you in her heart and she’ll be in yours as well.”
“A hotel or motel won’t seem very homelike for a little girl.”
“John, you will be staying for the two months in a small cottage that has been rented for you. It is much like the home you are taking your family to when you return to Vermont, just not quite as large.”
“When are we getting together and it would be nice if we knew her name before we are introduced? We’ve been calling her Annie ’till we found out what it was.”
“I was waiting to see if you two were compatible. I’ll make the call to the home now to get little Annalee Booker ready to meet you about three this afternoon. She has been primed by her nurse that she was going to have a mommy and daddy soon. It is better that she meet you today, although the original plan was for her to meet after your wedding two days from now. She’ll have to be at your wedding which shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Annalee?” I laughed. “See Sandy, I don’t have to change at all and can call her Annie. Not only that her last name is very similar and she isn’t old enough to notice that change either.”
Caitlin spoke, “I hadn’t noticed the similarities in your last name. Quite fortuitous isn’t it? Okay, let’s get going. We’ll have lunch before we reach the cottage and then Annie will arrive.” We wove through the city and the landscape became more rural. We stopped for lunch at a diner. There were cars with rubber rafts and canoes on top of their vehicles in the parking lot and several of the diners were wearing swim wear.
“Your cottage is on a small lake. There is swimming and boating. I’m sure you will find enough to do to keep Annie entertained.” This really was shaping up to be a vacation. “This is a half-way house. Everything is here. The cupboards and fridge are stocked. Towels and beds are clean and the dressers have your sizes of what you need and the closets have clothes. There is a small rowboat in case you want to go out on the lake. Make yourselves at home. I’ll be dropping in now and then.”
“What about our wedding?”
“You’ll be picked up. All the information you’ll need is in the desk. If you go anywhere, use the noted cab company. We have an account with them. Remember, your daughter and her nurse will be here in about an hour. Try to be a good mommy and daddy to her. See you.” The door closed on Caitlin.
I stared at Sandy. “It looks as if we are in this alone from now on.You look worried. That won’t do around the child. They are very perceptive. Get into your ‘I can handle anything mode’ and at least look confident. I’m going to look at what Caitlin left in the desk. Can you cook?”
“Not very well.”
“Okay, I can handle that. All I need to cook today is macaroni and some cheese and hopefully there will be hotdogs to go with it. Kids love that.” I looked at the papers in the desk. There was a note.
John, you may use your own name now. Burtrum Polk and Sandra Polk no longer exist. You will be marrying Jane Sandra Peters in two days. You can still call her Sandy if she prefers. At that time, and just after the wedding, you will be presented with papers for the child naming her Annalee B. Brooks. At some point before you and your family leave here we will discuss a cover story for Sandy. Caitlin Bluth.
As there was no pressure at the moment I planned giving my attention to the nurse coming with Annie. Then I would give my attention the child. Right on time I heard a car pull into the short drive. Arm and arm Sandy and I went out. A young woman jumped out and went around to the far side of the car and was getting the youngster unhooked. The car seat came out and was set down. That would be staying.
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, I’m nurse Brenda. I have a little girl here who needs a daddy and mommy. She is a little shy because she has only lived in the home. This is kind of unusual. Most usually couples come to the home to visit a child a few times before they are placed. However all the legalities seem to be in order and all the paperwork has been processed.”
“That’s fine, Brenda. Do you need any help?”
“No, but in a minute you can hold her.” Sandy and I both put our hands out. The little girl looked first at Sandy and then at me. Her little arms came out for me to take her into my arms.
“Hi sweetheart, I’m your daddy. We’re going to have a lot fun together. Would you like to come into the house with me and mommy?”
“Wif', Brenda too?”
“Of course. Guess what? Mommy has a new dolly for you to play with.”
“Mommy, can I have a new dolly, please?”
“You certainly can sweetheart.” I let Annie down and her little hand found Sandy’s.
“Mr. Brooks, Annie is the sweetest little person. I’ve had her in my care a whole lot. I’m going to miss her so much.”
“I’m sure you will. I lost my little girl in an auto accident when she was about Annie’s age. I’m going to cherish this little lady so much." Annie didn’t get too far from nurse Brenda although she thanked Sandy for her doll.
At the dinner table she kept her eyes on me. And I thought maybe it was because there weren’t very many men who tended the children at the home. I asked Brenda about this. “I don’t think that is it. She is a curious little girl. I and others have told her she was going to have a daddy to love. I think that is it more than anything else.”
Annie sat on the couch between us. Sandy was talking to her about naming the doll and was making up stories about Annie with the doll. She was pretending that Annie was a little mother and the dolly was her baby just like Sandy was mother to Annie. It seemed to be working. Annie thought she would name her baby Brenda after her nurse and kissed it. Sandy kissed Annie saying she was her baby.
When it came time for bed, both Brenda and Sandy got Annie ready. Brenda told her that when she woke up in the morning she could come into our room and crawl into bed with us. She was supposed to say “Good morning, Mommy and Daddy” and give us a kiss. Brenda lay down with the child and stayed there until she went to sleep. She had told Annie Nurse Brenda wouldn’t be here tomorrow, but Daddy and Mommy would love and take care of her.
Brenda was sad at leaving her little charge and wanted to know if we would write after we got back home to tell her how Annie was settling into her new home. We promised. We also exchanged phone numbers. After Brenda left, Sandy kept looking in on Annie to see if she was sleeping. Well, maybe I did a time or two myself. We left nightlights on in Annie’s room and in the hall. There was one in our room too.
Sandy wasn’t comfortable about a child in the house. “What if I don’t hear her when she wakes up and needs the bathroom? She’ll think I’m an awful person.”
“One of us will hear her. She knows where the bathroom is and with the lights on, she may not even need us. She seems pretty smart for her age. Sweetheart, she is everything I was hoping for. We’re doing great so far. Go to sleep.”
Sandy went to sleep almost as soon as I spoke. I didn’t though. I lay there, deciding it really was time to push the memories of my wife and my own little girl back into some distant corner of my mind. I now had someone to take their place and Sandy and Annie deserved my all.
I was restless and awoke about once every hour until I went to the bathroom at 4:00. I flushed and stopped in to peek at my new daughter. “Daddy, may I come to bed with you now. I keep seeing ghosts on the wall.”
"Annie, I don’t think you saw any ghost, but I’d love to have you come in and be in our bed when Mommy wakes up.” She pushed her covers off and backed down to the floor, taking my hand.
“I have to go to the baf’room. Will you wait for me?”
“Of course, sweetheart.”
She spoke through the door, “Daddy, you lef’ the seat up and I almost fell in.” I was about ready to apologize when she giggled. I took her hand again when she came out. I pulled the covers up when we reached the bed and she crawled in next to Sandy. She looked back over her shoulder, turned and snuggled down next to her mommy. “Night, Daddy.”
“Good night, sweetheart.” What a trusting little soul.
Both were asleep when I got up. I started coffee and when I heard the two talking and giggling, I went in to ask what they wanted for breakfast. “I want one sausage, one piece of bacon and three pancakes this big.” Annie made a circle with her fingers.
“And you, dear, what would you like?”
“I want two sausages, two strips of bacon, and four pancakes this big.” Sandy made a circle somewhat larger than what Annie had made.
“Coming right up, or do you want to shower first?”
“We’ll shower first. Don’t start making pancakes until we come to the table. Annie is going to wash my back.” When the two came to the table, Annie looked sad.
“What’s the matter, Annie?”
“Mommy has some awful looking boo-boos, but she says they don’t hurt anymore.”
“I know. She did get hurt really bad, but you and I are going to take care of her and she is going to be okay.” Annie ate four pancakes and Sandy ate five. I had one big one and it covered my plate which made Annie laugh.
We sat Annie down and told her that Mommy and Daddy were going to be married tomorrow and we asked if she would like to wear a new dress. Mommy was going shopping in a little while. She thought that would be neat. She had never gone shopping in a big store before. I took it she didn’t go out of the home very often. It was time for Annie to learn one of the major joys of being a woman. I sent them off on their shopping trip.
They hadn’t been gone long when there was a knock on the door. It was Caitlin, and Gordon Smith was with her. Caitlin asked, “How are you and Annie getting along?”
“Great, really. She is such a trusting little person.”
“And with Sandy?”
“We’re good. Very compatible. What are you here for?”
“Nothing serious. We are here to clear up some misconceptions that we have led you to believe. First, there isn’t any real danger to Sandy from her former posting. Those people were totally wiped out and the disguises and the fake marriage and the giving you a false identity were for training purposes of the agent who was the driver of the vehicle from the airport.”
“It did seem pretty damn foolish, but I didn’t say anything. Was Sandy really the undercover agent I was led to believe?”
“Yes, she was. She was nearly killed. We are trying to make it up to her. She was a superior agent and deserves all we can do for her. We applaud Gordon for making a great choice in finding you and getting you involved. A couple of things more; there isn’t any real reason now for Sandy to dispense with her southern roots and the way she speaks. I did notice that she was speaking with a Boston accent and you and she can certainly travel all over the country if you so wish.”
“And what about the compensation that was promised?”
“That, I don’t have much good news for you. There are some obstructionists in Congress who want to cut the program severely.”
“How severely?”
“Eliminate it totally if possible.”
“So where does that leave me?”
“I hate to tell you, but I suppose I’ll have to. That is the main reason we came to see you today.”
“Go on, give it to me.”
“Well, instead of the two months, it has been cut to two weeks.You have only a few days left of your vacation. We will give you air fare home and you can stay here in this place for that length of time. You still have thirteen thousand on the credit card we gave you. The $3,500 check that Gordon passed to you has been cleared. Your real wedding will take place as arranged and of course Annie’s adoption has been taken care of. Both the papers concerning her and your wedding certificate will be handed to you after the ceremony tomorrow.
“Johnny, I’m so sorry about all of this.You really are being treated terribly.”
I wasn’t too pissed at the broken promises. I knew I could give Sandy and Annie a good life without the help of the government. But still, I felt I had to ask for something. I had upheld my part of the bargain. “This isn’t acceptable at all. You have disrupted my life. I have two dependents now that I didn’t have two weeks ago. Caitlin or Gordon, whichever one of you in is charge, get on the horn to your superiors. I should receive at least something toward Annie’s future education.
“I want a healthy deposit made into an annuity account that will mature in fifteen years to initially pay Annie’s way into a good school of her choice. It shouldn’t have to be too large now because it will increase as time goes on, but I want to own it myself.”
Gordon said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
He stepped outside and started calling. Caitlin said. “I’m glad you didn’t roll over on this. We have upset your life considerably, but don’t you think you are better off now than you were before?”
“Of course I do, but then some promises have been broken. Some were stated and some implied, but broken nonetheless.”
“Oh, I agree. How much are you really looking for?”
“Twenty-thousand dollars should do it.”
“If Gordon comes back with a smaller offer than that, I’ll call.”
“Caitlin, do you ever get to Vermont? If you do, I would very much like to have you and your husband visit for a bit with me and my family.”
“I’ll plan on it.”
Gordon returned. “I asked for $50,000, but they said they wouldn’t go higher than $25,000. Will you accept that amount?”
“I can do that.”
“Good, we can part as friends. You know I still visit some cousins of mine in Putney. Could I stop by and see how things are going for you? I am really ashamed for my agency in cutting back on what I thought was a fair compensation of what we were asking of you. You just never know when someone in the agency is going to begin pinching pennies.”
“Is there anything else I should know about?”
“I don’t think so. Caitlin and I will leave some contact names if you can’t reach her or me. In fact I’ll give you my personal cell number.”
“Johnny, I’ll give you mine too.”
“Okay, that makes me feel like I’m still in the loop. Now let me ask you what you are doing for Sandy? Someone must have made her some promises too.”
“They have, and she has signed off on what was promised. She seemed satisfied with what she received. The biggest item she required was a husband who could live with her scars that she received during the firefight when we extracted her. From all indications we have filled that requirement.”
“I think you have. I’m looking forward to a good life with her. Will you stick around for a little while? She and Annie should be back within the hour.”
“Where are they?”
“Sandy took Annie to teach her how to shop for clothes.”
“We won’t wait. You’ll be lucky if they get back from shopping in time for the wedding, but yes, maybe we could stand a coffee.” We all laughed. I went into the kitchen and put the coffeepot on.
I thought to myself that they were wrong … and they were. Sandy and Annie came back in less than an hour. Sandy was surprised I had company. “Annie missed her daddy, so we didn’t shop long. We both found dresses. Caitlin, I wish you could be here for our wedding.”
“I wish I could be here too.”
“There isn’t anyway you could move it up to this afternoon, is there?”
“I don’t know. Let me call and I’ll inquire.” Caitlin made the call. She talked and we overheard her arguing. Finally she closed her phone. “He can marry you during the supper hour. He said just show up. Is that good enough for you?”
“It is if you both are going to be there. Annie, this nice lady and gentleman are going to be at our wedding. I call her Nice Lady and she is.
“How about it, Gordon?”
“Sure, Caitlin. I started this thing and I’d like to be in on the finish.”
“Sandy, it looks as if you are going to be married by the time we go to bed tonight. This is your last chance to escape.”
“Johnny, I’ll be running toward you, not from you. I’m so blessed. I’d go through what I have had to in the past four years again if I knew it was going to turn out like this.”
Chapter Three
I took everyone out to a noon-day dinner. Annie was very quiet. I think she was more than a little intimidated by having so many people around she didn’t know. Where she had been, all the children and adults were familiar. On the way back from dinner, I stopped and bought corsages for all of us. Annie took a nap as soon as we reached home. It was I who had to lie down with her.
I guess I was tired, for I slept too. It was only an hour later when I opened my eyes and saw that Annie was awake. “Daddy, what does getting married mean?”
“It means that a man and woman, or as in your case, a mommy and daddy gets a paper or license and goes to an official to have some words said. When this happens the mommy and daddy make a promise to love and take care of each other forever. That’s what we are going to do tonight. We already have the paper. If they have a child like you, then they have to love and care for you until you are old enough to care for yourself.”
“Daddy, I’m glad you are marrying Mommy. Can we get up now? I want to show you the dress Mommy bought for me. She has a new dress too. She is beautiful.”
“You are too, sweetheart.”
The women went in to get dressed. “So, Gordon, what have you been discussing?”
“You, some. I told Sandy and Caitlin what I knew about you. Sandy thinks she lucked out. I don’t know but what you did too. She’s young and smart and I know she will work hard to make you and Annie happy. She comes with quite a chunk of change too. I’m referring to her wages for four years. The IRS, of course, has received their cut so it comes with taxes paid. A nice nest egg to start life together with.”
“We won’t need it because I intend to take care of her with my own money.”
“Handy to have in reserve, though.”
The girls came out of the bedroom. Annie came running and twirled around in front of Caitlin. “Aren’t I pretty?”
“Very, very pretty. Can that pretty girl steal a kiss from a beautiful little girl?”
“Okay, but don’t mess me up.”
My eyes went to Sandy. She was wearing a cotton dress that came just below her knees. It was a pale yellow, buttoned to her throat. Scattered across in front of each shoulder were embroidered minute colorful flowers. Her very thin stature made her look to be about fifteen instead of the twenty-seven she said she was. She had chosen a little coronet of flowers for her hair. She looked like the bride she was soon to be.
Caitlin had changed into a dress, ridding herself of the suit she had arrived in. Gordon said, “I guess I had better put my jacket on. I’m glad I polished my shoes this morning.”
That made me laugh, making me remember I had told him he was out of character with shiny shoes. I went in and donned my suit. When I came out, I checked to make sure we had the wedding rings and the license. Gordon was driving us in his SUV. I would rent a vehicle tomorrow for the remainder of our stay here rather than relying on taxi service.
This was no wedding to write home about. The justice of the peace was at his table when we arrived He had shouted for us to come in when Caitlin knocked. He was eating spaghetti for dinner. He did wipe his lips on a paper napkin before he spoke. The shirt he had on wasn’t put on today or even yesterday by all indication. Today’s meal was accented by an eight inch string of spaghetti draped across yesterday’s gravy drip just below his chin.
“Show me your license. I want to make this all legal. I’ll take a look at your fifty dollars at the same time. Take your time lining up in front of the lectern. I got that little item when a church went bankrupt. Tools of the office, so to speak. We’ll take care of the paperwork before I begin and get that out of the way. You can see where to sign your names. Make sure you put in the correct date. You got the rings I see. You can put them on now. Saves time. Now hold your hands.”
His voice dropped lower and it seemed like he was trying to imitate some great preacher. There was a book on the lectern, but he didn’t open it. He had memorized the words and raced through them. Okay, so it wasn’t quite traditional. It was just a few minutes later when he told me to kiss my bride.
Suddenly he raised his arms to the ceiling and shouted, “Oh Lord, come down and bless this couple that I’ve joined in holy matrimony.” We all jumped when he shouted. His arms came down and he said as he turned away, “My supper is probably cold by now. You can show yourselves out.”
Soon we were standing outside on the walk. I looked at Sandy and then at Caitlin and Gordon. Annie was tugging at my pant leg. “Daddy, are you and Mommy married now?” This struck us all as over the top comical and we were soon laughing.
I finally controlled my mirth and answered Annie, “Yes dear, we are married. We are all the same family now.
“That man had a dirty shirt on, didn’t he Mommy?”
“Yes, sweetheart he sure did.” This brought another round of laughter. “Sweetheart in your lifetime you’re going to see a lot of people married, but I’ll guarantee you’ll never see a wedding like this one. But it doesn’t matter because it got us married. Now let’s go out somewhere for a nice meal.”
Caitlin and Gordon left as soon as dinner was over. Annie was sleepy and was soon tucked into bed. Sandy picked up a little and I watched something on the TV. She soon came in and snuggled up to me on the couch. “Crazy wedding ceremony wasn’t it?”
“Yes, but the important part of it is that we are married. I agree it wasn’t very solemn, but it didn’t have to be. We had a few laughs at the JP’s expense and that is what will make it memorable. Would you like to go to bed and make sure it is legal?”
“Yes, sweetheart, I would. You know as little as a month ago I would never have believed I could be this happy. And I am happy.”
“I am too.”
We spent three more days in the cottage. Annie and I put on bathing suits and went swimming in the small lake. Sandy didn’t put one on, just saying, “Maybe some day.” She first watched from the shore, but then we put the little flat-bottom boat into the water and she rowed around. When Annie tired of swimming she got into the boat with her mother. I loved being in the water and swam a good distance with the boat following me.
Two days later, I rented a vehicle and we went to the county fair. They had dozens of pigs, chickens, cows, and various other small animals. Annie loved looking at the kittens and I knew that when I got home she would have one of her own to play with. The day came when we were on our own and I made the decision that I would rent a car and we would travel slowly back to Vermont.
We called nurse Brenda and told her we were leaving the area. Annie was thrilled that she could say goodbye and promised to call her when she got to her new home. I cashed in the plane ticket and we loaded up the car and headed east. Every day we found a place interesting to stop and investigate. Eight days later as the light was fading, the three of us pulled into my driveway. I had been gone just short of one month.
“Hey Mom, I’m home from my vacation. How about having a cookout to celebrate my return? I’m going to be calling Todd and Mary and ask them to come and bring the kids. I have a lot to tell you about my travels.”
“Johnny I was wondering when we would hear from you.You left so suddenly and Todd wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“He couldn’t because he didn’t know what was going on. I’ll fill you in tomorrow afternoon. I can’t tell you all of it, but most.”
Annie went running through the house. She opened all three of the bedroom doors. She stood in the doorway. She came out and stared at me. “That’s a little girl’s room. Where is she? I want to play with her.”
Tears came into my eyes. “Sweetheart, she went away. She didn’t want to go. Her mommy went away at the same time and she felt she should stay with Mommy. I hoped someday that another little girl would come to live here with me so I’ve kept it just as she left it. It is your room now.”
“What was the little girl’s name?”
“It was Leeanne and I called Leah.”
“That’s a pretty name. I’m going to pretend she is my friend.” She went back into the room and I turned away. Sandy came into my arms knowing how I was feeling. She didn’t have to say anything and I was thankful she didn’t.
There was absolutely no food in the house. What a homecoming for my wife and child. “Johnny, order a pizza at the parlor I saw next to the Seven/Eleven just down the street. Pick up some milk and if they have eggs and bacon, that will be breakfast.”
Sandy had gotten busy by the time I returned. She had put new sheets on both beds. Annie was almost asleep, but managed a few bites of the pizza. Sandy and I went down to tuck her in. “Daddy, I love my room. Are all of the toys mine too?”
“Yes, they are. Go to sleep now and we’ll see you in the morning.”
“Can I still come to bed with you?”
“Of course.Climb right over me and snuggle between us.”
“Goodnight Daddy, Goodnight Mommy.”
“You have a beautiful home, Johnny. The bed is so big I’ll get lost in it.”
“I’ll find you.”
“I should hope so.” First thing in the morning we rushed around getting ready for company in the afternoon. It was a given that we would be eating about two. That had always been when these get to-gethers happened. I had to get propane for the grill and meat to put on it and we had loaded a shopping cart at the Hannaford Grocery. I wasn’t surprised when my mother and dad showed up before 12:30.
I saw Dad pull up and park in the street. Mom got out of the car and stood there waiting for Dad to get out and come around to walk up the driveway. I had coached Annie to meet them. I said “now” and Annie went off running.
“Hi Grammy and Grampa. My name is Annie. Welcome to our home.”
Mom stood still looking at Annie and then said. “What did you say, little girl?”
“I said my name is Annie and I said welcome to our home. Come, Grammy and meet my mommy. You know my Daddy.” She took hold of my mother’s hand and pulled her toward the house. Sandy and I came out and were standing waiting for them.
“Hi Mom, Dad. You’ve met Annie. I’d like to have you meet my wife, Sandy. We were married about two weeks ago.”
“Where?”
“Wisconsin.”
Dad, dry as ever said, “Guess you had a good vacation.”
“Dad, it turns out it was the best one I’ve ever had.” Dad was looking over my wife and he didn’t think I had gotten much. I smiled to myself because Sandy had gained four pounds just since I had known her, but she was still damned skinny.
“Mother Brooks, would you come in? I’m making salads. Johnny knows a lot more about that than I do. He’s the cook in the family and he says you taught him it all.”
“You can’t cook? That’s strange.”
“Not in my case. I’ve been in the military for eight years and never had the chance to learn. Annie, ask Grammy if you can sit on her lap.” My mother’s arms came out and Annie crawled up.”
The door closed and I couldn’t hear more. “Kinda’ sudden wasn’t this wedding?”
“Yeah, adopting Annie at the same time was too.”
“You want to tell me a little bit more about it?”
“Not too much to tell and what I say shouldn’t be discussed. Quick story: A man came to the door the day before I left and asked me to do a favor. You know how I felt about losing Leah. Well you look at Annie and she looks like Leah did when I lost her. The man used that on me to get me married to Sandy and then it was arranged for me to adopt Annie. That’s all done and I have a family again. Sandy is a very sweet person and I’m glad I agreed.”
“Not much to your new wife.”
“Nope, not yet, but there will be. She was shot several times and is still recovering.”
“Who was she shot by? Druggies?”
“No, and I can’t tell you too much more. It was our people who unknowingly shot her by mistake. It happened while trying to rescue her. Quite a screw up, but she’s alive and will soon be well.”
“John, what in hell have you got yourself involved in?”
“It’s all over now. The government promised certain things and Sandy deserves everything that was promised to her. I met some really nice people while they were winding up things for her.”
“They pay you for this?”
“Some, not as much as I thought they would, but balanced against having Annie and Sandy as family, I’m more than satisfied.”
“Does she bring anything to you besides herself?”
“Yes, of course.”
“That’s it? You are not telling me how much?”
“Nope, her business.”
“I have a feeling someday, something will come back and bite you.”
“I’ll face it and gladly.”
“Is she any good in bed?”
“Dad, I loved the wife I lost and I’ve enjoyed the women I’ve had the pleasure of dating more recently. But I’ll tell you all of those women together can’t compare to this one. And don’t tell me I’m thinking with my dick either. I’m not, but then you probably won’t believe me.”
“It sounds like you love this woman?”
“I’m coming to, Dad. Hey, we’ve stood here long enough. Let’s open up the cooler and see what we can find.” My sister-in-law, Mary, and their kids Junior and Ginny came in bringing a half gallon of vanilla ice cream and a blackberry pie. Todd came through the breezeway to us because that’s where the beer was. Dad and Todd opened a beer while I was cooking the chicken. Junior came out. “Pop, did you know Uncle Johnny has a wife? She’s got a little girl named Annie too.”
“You’re shitting me. Johnny, where’d you pick her up?”
Dad broke in, “John’s not saying much about her. Some crazy bullshit about doing somebody a favor. She looks like she’s been rode pretty hard, but he claims she is recovering from some injuries. Maybe you can get more out of him than I did.”
“Dad’s got most of it right. This woman did some things in the military and the government ended up owing her big time. I guess I’m the prize they are paying her with.”
“She has a kid and needed someone to pay the bills, is that it?”
“Annie isn’t her child. I picked Annie out for myself. That’s my prize. Wait until you meet both.”
“You’re not making a bit of sense. Lay it out so we can understand.”
“I just did. I looked at the picture of Annie and fell in love with her because she looks so much like Leah did. She needed a mother, and she needed a father. To get the child I had to take the woman. I’ve been married a couple of weeks now and wouldn’t ever give up either one. Junior, go tell your aunt the chicken is about done and she can bring out the food. I’ll put the dogs on now for all the young ones. Todd, Sandy may not look like much to you, but I’m telling I’m not making any apologies for her and I don’t need to.”
Sandy and Mary came out bringing the salads and picnic snacks. Junior was carrying plates, knives and serving utensils. Then he went back in for ketchup, salt and pepper. Annie had Ginny by one hand and Grammy Brooks by the other. When Sandy set the salad down she was carrying, she stuck her hand out. “You’re Todd. Johnny has told me all about you. He says he couldn’t have a better brother. I consider myself very fortunate to be joining Johnny’s family.”
“This is a surprise, Johnny getting married like he has. I never thought he would marry again.”
“Why? Because he was a free-wheeling bachelor?”
“Partly that, but more because I didn’t think he would take on another child to replace Leah.”
“Yes, about that. Johnny couldn’t have Annie without getting me as his wife. You might think I would feel bad about it, but I don’t and I can’t imagine ever living without either one. I’m trying my best to make sure he feels the same way.”
“I think from all he has said about you and Annie, you don’t have to worry. He tells me the same.” Sandy flashed a look of love at me and I almost lost a piece of chicken on the patio tiles. “Anyway, welcome to the Brooks’ family.”
“Thank you so much. You all appear just as nice as Johnny is.” (Sandy said you all as y’all) I would have to point this out and remind her that she had to be more careful and put her southern accent behind her. But maybe that was just bull-hockey and Sandy wasn’t in any danger at all. Or was she ever?” Hard to tell because so much of what I had been told and believed had been later retracted.
Sunday was a free day, when Sandy could get acquainted with my home and the town we lived in. I took her shopping at Hannaford’s on Putney Road. I told her I used the Rite Aid pharmacy next door. I showed her where my business was located almost across from the pharmacy. It was only five miles from my home in West Brattleboro.
“Johnny you have a nice home. Where do Todd and Mary live?”
“Not far, a few houses down from here. They live in a house on a bank that goes up from the street. They really should have bought one on the level like this one. It didn’t seem important at the time because they didn’t have kids. They came later.”
“And your mother and father?”
“Just two houses below them. Mom and Dad moved there after Todd and I moved out of their house over in another part of town.”
“What am I going to do all day while you are at work? I don’t know anyone.”
“You’ve got Annie and the computer is hooked up with high speed. We have satellite TV so you can watch a movie while Annie is napping. Don’t you have a hobby you can get interested in?”
“I never had time. Don’t worry about me, I’ll think of something. Maybe I’ll go on line and get some recipes and learn how to cook. I don’t know much about that either. What does Mary do?”
“She works parttime while the kids are in school. I think she gets home by 2:30 or 3:00.”
“Do I have to get friendly with the neighbors? They’re pretty close by.”
“You don’t have to, but you can wave at them to be friendly. I’m always working and that is about all I have to do with them. I don’t have many real close friends either.”
“How about the women you have been dating?”
“I’ll send them an email tomorrow night letting them know I’m not in the dating pool any longer. They’ll understand. Let’s see, I’ll turn the rental in and start looking for something for you to drive.”
“Johnny, let me buy a car with my own money. Also I have to go to the bank and have my money transferred here.”
“Okay, if you want to do it that way. If you want your money here, okay. Where is the money now?”
“The money is in an index fund held at brokerage account. I’ll just sell it and transfer it here.You’ll have to guide me in getting a Vermont license for myself and all that stuff and if I can’t figure it all out, you can help. I’m kind of dumb that way.”
“I don’t think you are dumb at all. Sweetheart, I know this is all strange to you, but it won’t be long before you will get used to living here with me.”
“It isn’t you so much; it’s that I feel so inept around Annie.You notice when you come home she is all over you and she totally ignores me. Even in the daytime she would rather be with her aunt Mary or her cousin Ginny than me.”
“That’ll change, I know it will. Try getting her involved in your cooking. A little kid needs teaching, teaching, teaching. When something comes out right or even if it doesn’t, praise her and do the same thing soon again. Another thing she has lots of dolls, the ones we gave her and all of Leah’s. Play house with her.”
As the days flew by I did notice that Annie could barely wait for me to walk in the door and she hardly ever mentioned or said “Mommy.” As the weeks rolled by, I did worry about this. I never gave it a thought this would be a problem. I knew Sandy wasn’t mean to Annie and she did try terribly hard to connect with her adoptive daughter.
Sandy got along with me, especially after we went to bed at night. I couldn’t imagine a better bed partner. Sometimes I wondered if I could keep up with her. I knew she was trying very hard in other ways as well. My meals were getting more delicious with each passing day. Sandy was somewhat friendly with Mary and my mother and even friendlier with Todd and my dad. Even Junior thought her a wonderful aunt. Sandy just seemed to get along better with the male species.
The summer flew by. I was really busy at work. We had several unexpected orders with the work force getting back to work around this part of the country. September went by and October was half gone.
Things were beginning to get weird and they all seemed to concern Sandy. She was often withdrawn as if she had a lot on her mind. The foliage was at its most glorious when she suggested we take her car and go for a ride. Sandy suggested I drive. Annie wanted Junior and Ginny with us so I called and picked them up. I thought we should go up route 9 to Hogback Mountain and use the large view finders they had there.
“No, let’s go up Black Mountain road. The colors must be bright up there.” This seemed a strange request, but we could go there and then on to some other place. When we turned onto Black Mountain road we passed a sign that said, SIT, the School for International Training. “What’s that?”
“I don’t know much about it. I see a bunch of the people around town. They have a van. Mostly young adults, I guess. Why, do you want to drive by it?”
“Sure, as long as we are here, I want to see where it is.” I drove up Black Mountain Road. It was on the right, the first place on Kipling Road. “Do you want to stop and look at it?”
“Just from here. It must be a college or something?”
“You’ll have to look it up on the computer. I really don’t know anything about it. Seen enough? I don’t want the kids to get bored. If we keep on this way, we can come down onto route 30 and if you really want to see some views we can go on up to Townshend. There is a parking area and we can stop and look down on the dam. I don’t know if we can drive across it anymore. We used to be able to.”
“That would be fun.” I wondered because this was the only place that Sandy had shown interest in. Returning home, I dropped Sandy off at the house and then my niece and nephew. Annie wanted to sit in front with me as co-pilot, but I didn’t dare let her because she was still too small and it was against the law. I could see through the window when I parked the car that Sandy was on the computer. By the time I got into the house, she was in the kitchen, making supper.
“This was a fun family day wasn’t it Johnny?”
“It was a great day we should have more of them.”
“We may sometime, Johnny.” That was an odd response. I was going to ask some pointed questions about my feelings when we got into bed, but … that didn’t happen. Sandy’s demands drove any questions plumb out of my mind.
It was back in my mind a couple days later. I swung by the house in the middle of the afternoon when I knew Annie would be down for her nap. Sandy apparently was taking a shower in the bathroom and didn’t hear me come in. I glanced into the room where the computer was located. It hadn’t been shut off. I walked in and looked at it. There was a note with passwords written on it lying on the desk. I looked at it. Her user name and password were scribbled across the top with a few email addresses.
One caught my eye. It was an email address for Gordon Smith. What in hell would she be emailing him for?” Sandy’s username was easy enough to memorize. And I did the best I could to memorize her password. There was a file named FBI and I memorized that one too. Just then I heard the shower shut off. I hurried into the kitchen and put together the coffee pot and was drawing the carafe full of cold water when she came through the door and discovered me.
“Johnny, what are you doing home so early?”
“I finished up at work for an hour or so and thought I would come home for coffee. What have you been up to?”
“Not much. Playing with Annie. She is such a sweet kid. Have you been here long?”
“Nope, just came through the door.”
Sandy just had a robe on and she let it swing open. “Does this give you any ideas?”
“Of course it does.”
“Go take a shower then and we’ll play around a little.” She shrugged the robe off and it fell to the floor. Sandy had gained considerable weight in the four months I had known her and almost back to her normal body weight. The angry red scars had lightened a lot and the one on her breast from the ricochet was now totally flesh colored although still very rough. Except for the scars she had one sexy body.
“Geesus woman, you’re going to kill me. How about we just have coffee and resume this when Annie goes to bed tonight?”
“Promise?”
“Promise. Hey I just remembered; I have donuts in the truck. They are yesterday’s. I forgot them when I needed to use the van yesterday afternoon.”
“You like that old van don’t you?”
“Yeah, I’ve had it a long time. It is about on its last legs. The company needs to buy a new one. I’ll try to get through the winter with it. I just put new tires on it.” Sandy went to put some clothes on. I glanced into where the computer was and saw that she had removed her password memo while I was out getting the donuts.
I had to pick my time, but I knew somehow I was going to discover why Sandy had Gordon Smith’s email address. I remembered we had Caitlin’s and Gordon’s phone numbers, but didn’t realize they had given out their email. It took me several days before I had a chance to snoop. Sandy had taken Annie over to my mother’s and had to go after her after I got home.
The memo that had the passwords was under the base of the monitor. First I copied it and put the original back, hiding my copy between the pages of a book on the shelf. Then I opened up the computer with Sandy’s log-on password. I expanded the correspondence history between her and Gordon. It made interesting reading. I found that apparently Sandy was still employed by the FBI.
There was a Foreign National, Abdul Aalee, mentioned who was renting a room at America’s Best Inn on Putney Road. This was his true name, but not what he was booked into the motel under. He was the terrorist cell member who was thought killed when Sandy was wounded and the FBI extracted seven months ago. He had come into the United States with a group of students who were going to school at SIT, hence Sandy’s interest last weekend.
He had made friends with the students before arriving in the United States and come in with them, but instead of going to school he had rented a vehicle and a room. Still quite friendly with the students, he met with them at different times. He was intimate with one girl in particular. What bothered me most, this was the man whom Sandy was close to and had been her sexual partner at one time. Gordon, I think, had told me Sandy had feelings for him during the previous four years.
From the emails, I gathered Abdul’s goal was to scout possible sites in the area that could be destroyed to disrupt this part of New England. He was concentrating on bridges and dams. He had the girl he was screwing operating as the driver of his vehicle while he took pictures. NSA had picked up on this while monitoring the airwaves traffic in a foreign country and turned over their findings to the FBI for investigation. The bureau now had a lock on the various methods of the communication he was using.
It was getting near time for the agency to pick him up. The FBI wanted to use Sandy to trap him. What really pissed me off was a statement Sandy made to Gordon in an email when he told her about the girl that Abdul was screwing. Sandy’s words: Well, she is getting a royal screwing and as long as she lives she will never be satisfied by any other man again.
“Sandy, you’re still willing to help trap him aren’t you? I don’t have to worry about him turning you, do I?”
"No, Gordon, he is a terrorist and deserves to be taken out. But I can still envy the sex she is receiving."
Learning this had to be my payback for snooping in other people’s emails. I find out I can’t compare with some damned terrorist who used to screw my wife. I also suspect that she is going to get one more shot at him. Looking back over the last month of the four we had been married, I wondered if our marriage was going to last much longer. Things seem to have gone downhill between us and Annie wasn’t bonding with her like at first.
There really was nothing I could fault Sandy with, but I wondered what this was going to cost me if I suggested we divorce. No, I’m not thinking that … because nevertheless some of the trust disappeared. Sandy drove in with Annie. I had time to close down Sandy’s account and open my own before they came in.
Over supper I suppose I was staring intently at Sandy without realizing it. “Johnny, you’re looking at me kind of weird. Anything I should know about?”
“No, dear, not that I know of. Thinking about the business I guess.”
Supper finished, Annie came into the living room and snuggled up next to me. “How was your day, sweetheart?”
“Good, Mommy didn’t pay much attention to me because she was on the computer a lot. Then she took me over to Grammy’s and Grammy played dolls with me. Daddy, when can I have a kitten? I could play with my kitty if Mommy is busy.”
“I’ll talk to Mommy about it after she finishes dishes.”
We waited patiently on the couch for Sandy to come in “Sandy, Annie asked to have a kitty. What would be your thoughts on the subject?”
“Well now, I think she should have one. I never had a pet, but there are a lot of cats in the area and they seem to survive. This is a low traffic area so it should be safe to have one.”
“Mommy, I’m not going to let it go outdoors with all those big cats and have dogs chase it up a tree.”
“Okay, sweetheart, we’ll go look for one this Saturday.”
“Mommy, I love you an awful lot.” She wrapped her little arms around Sandy and kissed her repeatedly.
“I love you too, dear.” It took Annie a long time to get settled down enough to go to sleep. Finally it took both of us to lie down to get her to go to sleep. We went out and sat on the couch. Sandy sat with me for maybe ten minutes.
“She is so sweet isn’t she Johnny?”
“Yes, she is. You’re doing very well with her.”
“I don’t think I am. Not like you are anyway.”
“You’ll come to it.”
“Maybe. Look Sweetheart, I’m going in on the computer for a little while. I won’t be long and then we can go to bed.”
She was back in about ten minutes. I didn’t look at her when she came in. “Johnny, I guess it is time for us to talk.”
Now I looked at her. Tears were streaming down her face. What’s the matter, honey?”
“Johnny, you were snooping and accessed my email file didn’t you? Actually I don’t have to ask because I know you did.”
“I admit it, Sandy. I should apologize, but what I read in your emails I don’t think I have to.You’ve been acting pretty damned strange for the last month.What I did is probably a crime, but you haven’t been honest with me either. What I read disturbs me greatly.”
Chapter Four
Sandy’s mouth opened and Johnny thought she was going to scream at him. She didn’t. She sat down beside him. “So where do we go from here? I was going to have to talk to you eventually, so I guess there is no great damage done. The damage was done when Gordon approached me to give the FBI a hand again.”
“When did this happen?”
“A little over three weeks ago. Gordon came to town and came to the house. I am the only agent who knows what Abdul looks like. I thought he was dead until Gordon came to see me. At least that is what I was told while I was recovering. A different person was identified when I was injured. Nobody knows who that person was. Maybe some one who was just collateral damage. Anyway Gordon came to town. I dropped Annie off at your mother’s and Gordon drove me up to Hannaford’s Grocery Store because Abdul was often hanging out with college students.
“The student van was there and I saw Abdul that day and pointed him out to Gordon. Gordon was lucky enough to get a good picture of him. The rest of the time we have been conversing by email. Did you read them all? How did you get into my account anyway?”
“No, I didn’t have time to read more. Just the last couple before you brought Annie into the house. How I got to open your account? You left your user name and password list out some days ago. I spotted Gordon’s email on it and went searching. I found it. End of story.”
“We haven’t discussed where this leaves us as a couple. We should.”
“I agree.You know, ever since Gordon approached me I have been lied to almost continually. I’ve been told something one day, promised it was the truth and within a short time it has been retracted and I was told something else. I’ve been married twice to you and I’m beginning to doubt if either time was legal. The only thing I have got out of this is Annie. I’ll tell you one thing, if anyone tries to take her from me I’m going public with everything I know.
I was silent and then I said, “I probably wouldn’t be so pissed if I hadn’t found out you claimed this terrorist, Abdul, was better at screwing you than I am. That hurt, but that’s probably just my male ego talking. Also from the way one of the emails read, Gordon is using your body to trap this person. Are you going to screw him?”
Now it was Sandy’s silence that stretched on. Finally, “If I have to, I will. Johnny, it’s my job and that is part of it.”
“You know, I thought your only job was to make me and Annie happy. I thought I earned that right and now I learn it is all bullshit.”
“It looks like we are all done as a couple with you feeling the way you do. I’d just like to remind you what Abdul is working toward. Think about what would happen if the Vernon dam were taken out and the one in Bellows Falls. Think about the dams on the West River. And then there is the Entergy Nuclear Plant. The terrorists might not even have to attack it. Timed right, with the dams destroyed, the river might do it for them.
“Think too, if the bridges between Vermont and New Hampshire were blown along with a half dozen of those over I-91.You wouldn’t give your wife permission to use her body for one night to save this part of New England? You’re a small man, Johnny.”
“Go ahead and enjoy yourself, Sandy. I guess that makes you a better person than I am. You get screwed by the country’s enemy and I get screwed by the country.”
I think I got across to her how much her duplicity had hurt. Tears were coming from Sandy now. She got up and whirled into the computer room. I sat dry-eyed on the couch, numb and sad and more than a little bitter. I felt so drained.
I went into Annie’s room and looked at my child sleeping peacefully. If I could keep her, this trouble I was having was worth every bit of it. I went to bed. I woke up during the night. Sandy was on her side of the bed. Well, why shouldn’t she be, she was my wife wasn’t she? I decided maybe she was and maybe she wasn’t.
I had to work in the morning so I woke at my usual time. Sandy’s eyes were on me when I swung my feet to the floor. “Good morning Sandy. Will you be taking care of Annie today?”
“Yes, I will Johnny. I will inform you if there are any major changes in our lives. Nothing is too immediate. I do have to be here Saturday to help Annie find a kitty.”
“Good, that is one promise I can’t have broken.”
“Johnny, there will be someone from the bureau here this evening. I’m not sure who it will be. I’m not even sure the District for Vermont knows anything about it. Their headquarters are in Burlington.
“Okay, arrange for my mother to keep Annie overnight. Both of them will love that. I’ll catch breakfast at the diner this morning and then you won’t have to get up.”
“Thank you Johnny. Johnny, do you want me to make up the bed in the guest room?”
“If it is for you, no. We’ll continue as we are. I don’t want to upset Annie. Not until I have to, anyway.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you late this afternoon.” I kept my mind on my work all day. When I left work, I swung by my parents’ house to say hi to Annie. She was happy that she was staying all night with Grammy. Sandy had supper on the stove and when I drove in, she put it on the table.
“Hi.”
“Are you okay, Johnny?”
“I guess. What time are your people getting here?”
“About 7:00, I believe. Johnny, I don’t want you to get mad, but they are your people too.”
“I guess they are, now that I think about it.” I began eating the pot roast dinner. “Sandy, you’ve come a long way with your cooking skills. This is totally awesome.”
“Thank you. Johnny I really have tried to make our association work and I have gained a lot. There are just some things that I don’t know if I will ever be comfortable with. Your life is so much different than mine.”
“You sound like you want to leave me?”
“I don’t and then again I do. We’ll have to make that decision sometime soon. It will all come down to what you think is best for Annie, won’t it?”
“Yes, that is the whole crux of the situation.”
“Go into the living room and relax until the people from the bureau get here. I’ll be in shortly after I clean up.”
Sandy came in and sat down next to me. I reached for her and she slid into my arms. “Sandy, I’m sorry about the nasty things I said to you last night. I’m still bitter. I went over the line.”
“Johnny, what you said did hurt terribly, but they were all true, so you don’t have to apologize. Just hold me for now.” I had the feeling that I wasn’t going to have Sandy in my arms like this much longer. Both of us had such diametrical opposed agendas.
It was ten minutes to seven when a car drove in. I watched from the window as four people got out and came to the door. I knew two of them. Gordon and Caitlin. Sandy, who was watching with me, said the older man was their supervisor. She didn’t know who the older woman was.
“I’ll let them in.” Sandy got to the door before they had to ring the doorbell.
I shook Gordon’s hand and extended one to Caitlin, “I meet the ‘Nice Lady’ again. Hello Caitlin.” I was particularly pleased to see her again.
Gordon introduced me to the other two, “Johnny, this is Bill Poole, my supervisor. Also this is Betty Adams, a mediator and marriage counselor. She is also a licensed psychologist.” I shook Bill’s and Betty’s hand.
Sandy said, “Please, won’t you all sit down? I’ll serve coffee if you wish. I made a cake if you would like some.” All said that was thoughtful.
Bill began the discussion. “Johnny, Gordon has passed on to me that you are upset with Sandy about agreeing to work with the bureau in the trapping and the taking of one Abdul Aalee. Is that correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Why do you object?”
“Mainly because the two have a history together. The main reason you are using her is because she is willing to use her body to entice him into your clutches. This was all arranged behind my back. Since Gordon first approached me, I have been lied to repeatedly. You guys set up one marriage and then made it disappear. Then there was another and I’m beginning to wonder if that one was real too.” I looked at Bill and asked, “Was it?”
“Yes, it was a real ceremony. I admit that all the paperwork hasn’t been filed yet, but that is neither here nor there.”
“So this was another one of those deals that is almost but not all true?”
“You could say that. Let’s get beyond how you feel you have been wrongly treated. I’m here to make sure that Sandy is available. This has to go down very shortly. We have most things in place to make it happen.”
“Bill, I know Sandy is going to go through with this. She has been an agent too long to refuse. For our future together, I would like one straight answer.”
“Ask it.”
“Did Sandy agree to go back working for the bureau before she knew what was going to be required of her?”
Bill looked at Gordon and I gathered he didn’t really know. “Gordon, answer Johnny.”
“Yes, she was working for the agency again before I explained what was going to be required. Why does it matter?”
“It matters because of her priorities. It tells me that the bureau is more important to her rather than being a wife to me and a mother to my daughter. It tells me that we can’t possibly have a future together. So to finalize this, please don’t file those marriage papers. Both she and I will be free to get on with our lives.”
“That’s being damned abrupt, isn’t it?”
“Possibly, but let me say this, Sandy has mostly been a wonderful wife, but there have been times when I could see she wished she weren’t a housewife and mother. I still care about her a lot. What will be her role with the bureau after this one project is over? Will she be shoved out into the cold again or will she have a permanent place as an agent, even if it isn’t out in the field?”
“Sandy asked the same question of me when we talked last night. I don’t want the agency to lose her experience, so she has work as a handler for agents out in the field. I assure you this is a permanent placement, and in this capacity she will save the lives of some of our agents.”
“Good.”
Betty Adams spoke up now. “Johnny, I’d like to question you for an hour or so and after that I’d like to question Sandy for about the same length of time. This is just to verify that you both are on the same page with this.”
“Okay by me. Sandy?”
“Go ahead Johnny, and talk with her. Gordon and I have some planning to do. Bill is right here to pass on what we decide.” I led Betty down to the guest bedroom where it was totally private. This left the kitchen table for the others to do their planning.
When Betty was finished with me, she asked me to send Sandy in to talk with her. Bill had gone into the living room and was watching television. Gordon commented, “I take it you are some peeved with me. I’m just doing my job.”
“Yes, but if you had never come to my door, I would’ve been happier not having than go through all this crap.”
“Johnny, I know you better than that. Don’t forget who is the most important to you. You will have to agree on that point.”
“I guess I do. I can’t imagine life without Annie in my future.” Gordon went into the living room while Caitlin stayed at the kitchen table talking with me. We talked, not so much about Sandy and what I felt about my problems with the bureau, but about Annie.
Caitlin asked how Annie was going to feel when Sandy moved to Washington or to Virginia wherever her new location was to be. “Caitlin, Annie has never had the tight bond with Sandy that I hoped for. She would just as soon stay with my mother or her aunt and my niece and nephew. I even have to split her affection with my father when we are in the same room together. I am hoping when I find a caregiver for her that the two will bond.”
“Is that the plan?”
“Yes, after my experience with Sandy, I feel I can tell very soon after someone new takes over whether it will work or not. If not, I’ll continue searching.”
“The bureau did do a great job finding Annie for you didn’t they? Especially when they only had a bare-bones outline of what you were like.”
“Who did the choosing?” A flush appeared on Caitlin’s skin.
“Just someone in the bureau.”
“Can’t tell me or you would have to kill me, is that it?”
“I don’t think they would go that far.”
“Caitlin, you mentioned one time that you were married. Are you happy?”
“I was.”
I didn’t get the chance to ask Caitlin more questions because Betty and Sandy came out. Caitlin got up and went in to sit with Bill and Gordon, leaving me to listen with Sandy to what Betty had to say.
“Johnny after talking with both of you, my opinion is that you like each other considerably. This puts you into the realm of being friends, but not continuing as husband and wife. The deal-breaker that stops Sandy from loving you is twofold. She could love Annie just as much if she was her aunt instead of her mother. This too she can’t help.
“The other concerns your lifestyles. For several years now she has been living on the edge with the excitement it generates. Yes, she stopped for awhile when it almost killed her, but that hasn’t deterred her as much as the lost excitement. She has gone from living in that environment to making meals, cleaning house, and caring for a child. The world, now that she has recovered, just moves too slowly for her.”
“She must have known this before she agreed to my lifestyle.”
“She did, but it is one thing to think about it and much different living it.”
“I can accept that. What about me?”
“You are on the other end of the spectrum.You prefer your life to be safe and orderly. Excitement for you is in doing things well in what you are familiar with, but little more. Sandy has made demands on you sexually and that was fine up until you read her stolen email to Gordon. Love is one thing and hot animal sex is another. That email hit you right in your gut and of course lowered your self-esteem. Men who have lost their self-esteem rarely gain it back especially from the same person.
“It’s too bad, because she says you are a wonderful, caring lover with the emphasis on love. You should read the email again. In that she was talking about sex. Believe me there is a difference. The big deal-breaker for you is the fact that everyone in the bureau you have been in contact with has lied to you. I agree they have, but each time it was for a separate reason at that particular moment.”
I broke in, “Yes, but you think back and all that bullshit except for Annie was either for the bureau’s or for Sandy’s benefit.”
“True, but you now have a daughter.”
“You know we could go round and around on this forever and still get nowhere. You’re here to give advice. Give Sandy your conclusions and the same for me.”
Betty collected her thoughts. “Sandy, you should go on this Abdul exercise you have agreed to. You need the excitement to come alive again. Then if you live, you should take the job that Bill has waiting for you. I would advise that you keep away from the field exercises because if you don’t Johnny will worry when you are out there. You could keep it from him easily because you won’t be together, but he will worry just the same. You might think my saying he would worry is crazy talk, but I sense he does care for you much more than a little.
“Please make what peace you can with Annie by telling her you are leaving for some place else and tell her you will never forget her. From what you both say she should be okay with you not being here.”
“Betty, what should I tell my family about Sandy leaving? They are going to ask questions.”
“There is always the squashed wedding that appears to be a possibility. Or you can come up with something else. You can say it is something you and she have been working on and it came through. You’ll just return to your single status. The record of Annie’s adoption is solid. Sandy wasn’t identified as a parent, just you. You can announce that Sandy has found employment with the government. She’ll let you know her address. I’m sure you two will exchange cards and so forth on the holidays.”
“It sounds like a good plan. I can sell that to my family.”
“I guess my work that I came for is all done. I think Gordon has some business with you, isn’t that correct, Sandy?”
“Yes, would you ask him to come out?”
Gordon came into the kitchen and looked at us. “Good, you’re both calm. Johnny, you look like we can talk rationally. Sandy tells me you have an old van you are about ready to trade. I’d like to purchase it. There are some restrictions and I hope you will agree to them.”
“Here we go again.” I was smiling and Gordon laughed. For some reason I was calmer than I had been for several days.
“So, Johnny, what is the van worth?”
“Eight or nine hundred dollars, that’s all.”
“Johnny you’re too honest.You’re tapping into the bureau’s expense account. Say we triple that. Would you be satisfied with $2,700? Of course you would, and this time I won’t give anyone the chance to pinch pennies. I’ll get you a check for that amount. Stipulations … don’t remove any insurance you have on it. That’s just in case it gets stolen before I pick it up. Take most of the tools or whatever you use the van for out of it before Thursday afternoon. Leave your plates on it too. I think Sandy will be driving it for a couple of hours that afternoon.”
“You want me to move it from my business where I keep it most of the time?”
“No, I want it kept there until Sunday morning. You might put some gas in it. The tank needs to be almost full. Let’s see what else? Oh, is your business compound locked?”
“Most times unless I forget to lock it.”
“You had better forget to lock it. It’s a padlock, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ll leave a cut one on the ground. Leave the van keys under the floor mat. Sandy will be driving it for a little bit Thursday and she is the one who might be stealing it on Saturday. Oh, I guess I had better give you the keys to the cut padlock in case you are asked for them. I’ll give them to you when I see you Thursday.”
“This sounds dangerous and like a lot of things could go wrong.”
“That’s the nature of any operation. You try to think of the worst that can happen and head off the trouble by anticipating them. I guess that’s about it. Try and be as normal as always. Bill, Betty and Caitlin are heading back to Washington tonight. I have a room in town. I’ll see you Thursday for a few minutes when I catch up with Sandy about how the day goes. Johnny, I knew you were a good sensible person and I knew you would be good to work with.”
He went to the living room. Bill had dropped off to sleep and had to be woken. I walked out with Caitlin. She whispered, “Johnny, you had more questions for me and I’ll answer them all when I see you next.”
“I’m going to see you again?”
“Before this month is out. Good night, Johnny.”
I said goodnight to all and went back into the house. I said to Sandy, “You’re wide awake.”
“I’m always like this when an operation gets close to completion. It’s the adrenaline caused by the danger and knowing anything can happen.”
“What about when it’s over and you are tied to a desk job?”
“I’ve had one before for short periods of time. I’ll just live vicariously through those I’m directing. I’ll know any mistake I make can lead to the agent’s death. That would be worse than dying myself, I would imagine.”
“Sandy, for a woman you have a healthy set of balls.”
“Johnny, doesn’t it excite you just a little that I am in danger?”
“Frankly, it scares the hell out of me.”
“But think of the result if I’m not able to pull this off. Maybe hundreds of people will die. Even if there are no deaths, think of what this area would be like absent the dams and the bridges. I haven’t asked how long Abdul has been working on this, but he has to be close to finalizing the operation. Johnny, someone has to do it. Right now I’m it.”
“Okay, but why doesn’t the FBI assassinate this person? They must have the resources?”
“Sure they do, but don’t you know that is illegal? If Abdul fails, the terrorist organization may give up and forget all about it or they’ll look for some easier target. The country is bombarded by terrorists all the time.”
“Okay, okay, I just wish it weren’t you.”
“I understand and I really do love you for worrying about me. Johnny, snuggle me. Remember my time with you is growing short.”
I took Thursday afternoon off. I was really worried. Today Sandy was going to approach Abdul and let him find out she lived in the area. I hated to think about it, but I hoped he would be thinking with his dick when he met his former terrorist partner and lover.
Sandy was subdued when she came into the house late that afternoon. “I didn’t see you when I picked up the van and I didn’t see you when I returned it to the lot.”
“No, this was your game and I didn’t want to be close enough to interfere if something went wrong. Gordon must be monitoring you and somehow watching your back.”
“He was. He was closer than you could know. There was little danger to me today. We have nailed Abdul for what he is. He is a terrible braggart and it was all caught on a recording device. We will finish it up Saturday night. I have promised him I will help him in the coming days. I am supposed to meet him at dark for a night of unbridled sex like we had in the past.”
“I still fear for you.”
“I know you do. Johnny would you pour me a glass of wine? I need to relax. I have a tension headache.”
“I should think you would. I’d like to join you. I have the same kind of headache.” I couldn’t relax yet. Sandy went to bed after telling Annie that Mommy wasn’t feeling well. Two more days and this should be all over. The bitterness about the lies and the manipulations had left me. Now I wanted Sandy to be safe and I didn’t care about anything else.
I called Todd in the morning. “Hey Todd, it’s about time we had another family meeting. There are some changes coming up in my life. Can we get together on Sunday?”
“Sure, let’s do it at my house this time.”
“I don’t think that will work. Sandy is getting Annie a kitten on Saturday. It will be a tiny one. I think we better have it here because Annie won’t leave the kitten so it is my house or nothing.”
“Okay, stock plenty of beer.” Friday I went into work late and I came home early because I wanted to be with Sandy as much as possible. This was to relieve her from caring for Annie while she had other thoughts on her mind. I guess it wasn’t necessary, because Sandy was paying more attention to Annie today than ever before.
Sandy had called two different animal shelters and there would be several kittens to choose from. Annie couldn’t eat breakfast Saturday morning because she was so excited. We went to the pet store on Putney Road and purchased a small pet carrier. Finally it neared 9:00 A.M. and we drove up route 30 to the shelter. We could hear dogs with different voices howling and barking in the rear of the facility.
Annie spoke up and told them why we were there. “I want to get a kitty and I’m going to give it a good home and love it forever. Daddy and Mommy are going to show me how to care for it and brush it and it will purr for me when I do.” The first kitten that was brought out for inspection was a coal black, short-haired female, with some white on the end of its tail. It also had four white feet and a heart-shaped splotch of white around its nose.
The kitten knew how to sell itself. When placed in Annie’s hands, Annie sat down and the kitten cuddled in her lap and it began purring immediately. Annie wiggled her finger and the kitten pounced on it. Suddenly it jumped out of her lap, climbed her dress, went up and around in back of her neck and back down into her lap. Its tail was twitching until Annie stroked it and it began purring again.
“Daddy, can we take Tippy home now?” That was it. Annie had her kitten and she had named it already. It was now a family member. It took awhile longer to pay and receive instructions for its future medical needs and then we were home. No need to pay attention to Annie now by either Sandy or me. She was totally taken up with the kitten.
After lunch Sandy and I were sitting in the living room. “Sandy, when are you planning on moving to Washington?”
“I’ll be here another week. I thought I would be leaving tomorrow, but Gordon and Bill both said I shouldn’t. It’s something tied in with the van. The van as you probably have guessed will be stolen tonight. It won’t look good if I disappear at the same time so I have to be here just to be seen. Johnny, I’m going to miss you terribly. You’ve been such a sweetheart to me. I admit I have struggled to be happy here, but I am going to miss being here just the same.”
“I didn’t realize you were so unhappy. Well, not until the last month or so.You can change your mind again and stay. I’d be glad to have you. I could even become more aggressive in the sexual arena.”
“That wouldn’t work, Johnny. Don’t beat yourself up over what you read in that email. You are a wonderful lover for anyone looking for a loving encounter. It’s just that my demands sometimes require more than what you gave me. Feel a little sorry for me. I’m going to have to go without until I establish another partner and find someone I’m more compatible with.”
“Let’s get off this subject. What is your timeline tonight? You will be returning here, won’t you?”
“I’m supposed to meet Abdul between 9:15 and 9:30. He claims he knows a good place to park where we can talk. I expect he will want to get intimate. I’ll keep him talking as long as I can.”
“You’re going to have sex right in the van? That sounds uncomfortable. Why not in his motel room? It’s close by.”
“He won’t permit it. I’m assuming that all the information he has gathered is stored there. We can’t use his car, because his short-time lease ran out and he couldn’t get another one.”
“And again, why not? That seems like a simple enough thing to do.”
“Hey, Johnny, the FBI is in town, remember? They can set up anything. I’ll be safer in the van. I even put blankets on the bare floor before I came home Thursday.”
“That hurts!”
“I’m sorry I said that. It was a joke. I don’t plan on using them. This should be all over by that time. The blankets are just a prop.”
I sat there shaking my head “Johnny, I thought you realized this was just to catch Abdul and not for me to get screwed.”
“You never said. I thought this was a job and that was one of the perks.”
“No.”
Neither of us wanted to continue talking or even thinking about her and Abdul together. “So what time will you be coming home?”
“Don’t look for me before 11:00. It might not be before 2:00 or 3:00. These things are uncertain. I might have to call you for a ride, so please stay by the phone.”
“You’re putting me through hell, you know?”
“Looking at it from your perspective I guess I am. Just think, in another week you won’t have me to worry about. That should be a relief.”
“I won’t have you beside me either.” I got up and went and watched Annie play with the kitten. Sandy busied herself getting a roast for supper. She even planned an apple cobbler. When we finished supper, I asked if I should take Annie over to my mom.
“You’ll never get her to leave her kitten. Have your mother come and stay in the spare bedroom. You can just say I had to go out. She’ll be company for you.”
“Yeah and she’ll ask a million questions, too.”
“Annie will be okay alone for a few minutes if I ask you to come pick me up. It won’t be further than the corner on Western Avenue.”
“Okay, I’ll go with that. Mom would ask too many questions.”
I watched Sandy get dressed. She put on a frilly bra and panties. Over this she shrugged into a nondescript gray skirt, flowered button top, and sensible shoes. She rearranged her hair and put it up into a bun.”
“Why the bun? You never wore it like that.”
“I used to. Abdul is familiar with it that way. Besides, there is a reason for it. I’ll tell you about it when I get home. Check to see if Annie and the kitten are asleep. I have to leave in a few minutes.”
Annie was asleep with the kitten curled up beside her head. The kitten was happy and still purring. Just then I heard a vehicle pull into my driveway. Sandy came and kissed me. She paused before she opened the door and looked at me. I gave her a little wave and then she was gone.
I swear the hands on the clock were going in reverse until 11:00. I just knew that something had gone wrong and I would never see Sandy again. I would be facing all kinds of questions when Sandy’s remains were found. On the other hand, if the FBI got hold of the remains, they would just disappear. Two hours after midnight I had given up hope.
The phone rang and I hated to pick it up. “Pick me up in five minutes at the end of Stockwell Drive.” I was shaking so badly, I dropped the phone trying to put it down. I had thought to turn my car around so I didn’t have to back out onto the street. I was down to the Western Avenue and no Sandy. Three minutes later a vehicle went by toward town. Then I recognized my van coming up the avenue heading west. It just stopped long enough for Sandy to get out.
She ran across the road and jumped into the car. “You must have hurried getting here so soon.”
“Did I? I wonder why. How did things go?”
“Not as good as they could have. I’ve known some incompetent agents in my career, but the one I had was totally useless. He almost got me killed.”
“Sandy! Sandy, what do you mean you were almost killed?”
“Just that. I’ll tell you about it just as soon as we get in the house. Whew, I’m glad that is over. Guess it’s time I took a desk job.” She gave a nervous laugh. I took it she had to have had a very close escape.”
We got into the kitchen and she plopped hard into a chair. “Johnny, make coffee will you, please.” She remained sitting with her head down on her arms that were stretched out on the table. I went about making coffee, glancing constantly at Sandy.
The coffeepot filled with coffee. I poured for both of us and nudged Sandy, “Coffee. Sandy, can you tell me now what happened?”
“Sure, but it has to be a secret. It will be a lot different than what is in the official report, but you won’t see that either. I might as well tell you all of it. Gordon drove me up to get the van, which I did. I picked up Abdul at the corner of Black Mountain and Kipling road as arranged. A mile farther up Black Mountain road there is a small wood road that turns off. I backed the van back up in there and shut the head lights off. I left the interior light on.
“Again, I told Abdul how surprised I was to see him in this part of the country. He was as surprised to see me as I was him. I told him that the damned Americans had shot me in several places. I showed him the scar on my breast and promised he could see the others soon. He felt the one between my legs and rubbed it, commenting we would soon get even. I said I was out of it. Most of his people had been killed, but the Americans hadn’t escaped it all because two of their agents were killed at that time.”
“You can help me, sweet one,” He told me “I am almost done with the preliminary findings. When I get back to headquarters and hand my findings over, they will decide how to do the most effective damage. They will estimate how many of the American dogs will be killed and then the whole area should be lain waste. It will be major and all because of me and my work here in this rural backwater where few agents ever have cause to come.”
“You’re magnificent, Abdul.”
“Yes I am. This deed will get me many virgins when I reach the Promised Garden, even if I live to be a hundred years old. Let me tell you what I have compiled and what some of the methods should be to bring about the most destruction.”
Sandy paused here to speak to me.
“You know, Johnny, if Abdul hadn’t been stopped tonight, he could have caused terrible damage. Back to my story. Abdul went on and on and into detail how he went about gathering information. I was getting bored. I took Abdul’s hand when he began repeating himself and let him place his hand over the scar on my breast. He wasn’t as interested as he used to be. Guess I’m losing my appeal.” Sandy giggled.
“Come on Sandy, don’t stop now.”
“Okay. Anyway he even bragged about tapping that young woman this afternoon at the school. He is using her to drive him around when he couldn’t lease another car locally. Now he wanted to use me.
“Johnny, this is where the scary part comes in. The agent who was riding on the van roof figured I was going to soon be undressed so from where he had been watching through the roof vent to get ready he opened it all the way. Abdul felt the breeze on his head and knew he had been set up by me. The agent wasn’t prepared when discovered and fired his tranquilizer gun too soon. The dart got Abdul in the leg when it should have entered in the upper body somewhere.
“Abdul didn’t think he was hit and turned and had his hands squeezing me around the neck. He ignored the man looking down on him. Johnny you were wondering why I had my hair done up in a bun. I had a needle secreted in it and it saved my life. I went for it when Abdul looked up at my so-called savior. The needle had the same kind of fluid in it as the dart gun
“Abdul got the whole dose right in the chest muscle. I really thought that I would never see you again at that moment. I was losing consciousness because I couldn’t breathe. I guess the agent got on the ball and got another dart into Abdul in the correct area because I could finally breathe again. The damned stupid agent came down off the roof and said Abdul was arrested. Then he began reading Abdul his rights and then he kicked him.”
“That’s the end of it?”
“Not really. A person can stand only so much of that tranquilizer.”
“And?”
“And Abdul’s dead. Johnny, you want to know something else? That agent comes out of this smelling like a rose and will get a commendation.”
“How come? You almost died.”
“Yeah, but he finished reading Abdul his rights and then kicked him. On tape it sounds as if Abdul agreed when he grunted from the kick. This covers the law even though I swear he was stone cold dead at the time. All I got out of it was some really horrible black and blue marks around my neck. See?” Sandy bared her throat and she did have some severe red marks that were changing color.
“You must be terribly exhausted. Do you want to go to bed? We’ll have a few hours.”
“I’m pretty wired. They say a near-death experience will do that to you. Oh, I was to tell you to go into your business about nine this morning and report the van being stolen. Everything should be in place by then so it can be found and no one is charged for anything.”
“Don’t tell me the van still has the body in it?”
“Yep, two of ’em. One was a cadaver that the FBI had on ice and the other is my dead stud.” There won’t be much left of them when they are found … or the van either for that matter.”
“The crimes are piling up aren’t they and they aren’t all on the bad guy’s side.”
“Don’t say that. Word will trickle back across the water making them think Abdul has failed. The FBI will make sure they get the word out on that. Abdul, the stud, had a woman and he wasn’t paying attention to business. The van will be found burned, from a gas tank explosion near a dam that he possibly was looking at. That’s why Gordon wanted such an old van. It just fits in with the whole manufactured package where it conceivably could have been a mechanical failure.”
“I wonder about our country and our justice agencies.”
“Hey, they keep watch over us and we are generally safe. We have to be vigilant and do whatever needs to be done. Does all of this bother you that much?”
“I guess not. I’m some surprised, that’s all. I should think you would be upset.”
“Why, because I was Abdul’s bed partner at one time? Remember, two of our best agents were killed when the terrorist cell was raided to get me out of danger. I almost didn’t make it then and I almost didn’t make tonight. You have to look at the big picture. Go to sleep, you have to face your family this afternoon and explain why I’m leaving you.” I shook my head. This wasn’t going to be easy, but it would be worth it. Sandy was alive to help with answers.
I went up to the compound on Putney road. I discovered the padlock on the gate had been cut. My van was gone and I duly reported it. The police said they would keep their eyes out for it. “It’ll go out on the air as a BOL.”
“Damn, the tires on it are worth almost as much as the van itself. I just put them on last week.” I got a shrug and a “too bad” from the local police.
The family came for dinner. I told Todd about reporting the van being stolen from our compound, but that was all because nothing else appeared to be missing.
The kids were in Annie’s room, with her telling her cousins all about her kitty. She was a little jealous when Tippy went to Ginny or Junior, but they didn’t hold Tippy for long so she was happy. Sandy had a ten minute break before dinner was ready and she gathered Mom and Mary in the living room where Dad and Todd were with me.
She stood in the doorway. I wasn’t positive what she was going to say. The only thing we had agreed on was that the other would be present when either of us explained. “Mom, Dad Brooks, Todd and Mary, there have been some new developments in my life. I’ve taken a position in Washington DC with the FBI. I’m leaving here and driving down a week from today.
“You probably realized when I came here I was reticent about sharing my past. Johnny hasn’t said much to you either. Some of it is because I’ve kept some things from him as well. There is of course, a reason for this. I can’t tell you everything, but I will tell you I have been on the forefront of trying to keep at bay some terrorists who want to destroy our country. When I came here I was recovering from several wounds that had almost killed me. At the time that happened I lost two of my best friends. Both were first-class agents.
“You probably wonder about Johnny and me. We have lived for the last few months as husband and wife because my bureau chief thought there might be some terrorists still looking for me. That apparently isn’t necessary any longer. Just recently one was tracked down and has been contained. I have been offered a safer position. There is just so many times one can escape being killed and I believe I have reached my quota.”
“You and Johnny aren’t married?”
“Before the world to see we were, but not legally. Even we thought we were married for awhile, but told recently that it wasn’t so.”
“What about Annie? Is she leaving with you?”
“No, she isn’t. The adoption of Annie was by Johnny, making him her parent and that is legal.”
“Mom, Annie is my responsibility. I’ll get me a woman in to take care of her. There won’t ever be one as good as Sandy, but there is no way we can stay together. Sandy loves her job and I can’t leave with you and my family and the business here.”
Tears came into Sandy’s eyes when I said this about how good she was. She came over and kissed me “This week our major chore is preparing Annie for Sandy’s leaving. Sandy is the only mother she has ever known. The new kitten will help distract her and I know everyone else will too. I promise Annie won’t be a burden to you for long, and changed the subject."
“You really got shot?”
“I did Dad. I’m not going to disrobe for you, but I do have pictures.”
“I’d like to see them.” These snaps were small area ones around each scar, taken before they had faded at all and I can attest they were quite graphic.
“Sandy, why don’t you wait until later? The kids will be going back into the bedroom again after dinner. No one wants to see your butt before we eat. You can show the latest one you don’t have a picture of yet.”
“Good thinking from this guy I thought I was married to at one time.” Sandy ruffled my hair. Mom, Mary, and Sandy headed for the kitchen. I went in and told the kids it was time to eat. I knew Dad and Todd were speculating about what they were going to see in the picture of Sandy’s butt. I chuckled to myself … the first light moment of the day.
Annie wanted to bring the kitty with her. “No, Annie, leave Tippy in your room.You’ve been playing with her for a long time. She’s very young and she needs to nap while we eat dinner.”
“Okay, Daddy. Come Tippy, you can cuddle up by my pillow.”
Sandy observed, “I never saw anything like it. Annie does just what Johnny tells her to do without argument.” Mom agreed with her that my daughter and I were extremely close.
After the dishes were done, the women came into the living room where Dad, Todd and I were watching one of the last Nascar races of the season. “Todd, here are those pictures of the scars I’m carrying. Johnny says I should show the latest. This one is just some marks, not a scar.”
Sandy unwound the silk scarf she had wearing around her neck to cover the bruises. These were black and blue and you could define where fingers had pressed into her flesh. “Oh my God, Sandy, when did that happen?”
“About two this morning. It looks bad, but I had another agent with me and he took care of the terrorist. This latest incident just reinforces my belief that I should be in a safer line of work. That is why I’m leaving here for a desk job in Washington.”
“Was Johnny aware of what was happening?”
This was my mother asking. “Yes, he was and he helped in several ways. You’ll learn a few facts about the operation and guess several more, but I’m sorry I can’t go into detail. I will say this part of the country and you are measurably safer from what I have been doing in the last month. Mom and Mary, if you want to see my scars up close and personal, come into the bedroom. You can tell Todd and Dad about them later.”
Todd and Dad had the pictures to sort through. “You’re going to let Sandy go, son?”
“Yes. She has convinced me that she isn’t cut out to be a mother or a housewife. She loves both Annie and me, but feels she never will be totally happy staying here. So both of us are moving on. She’ll be visiting some and I’m hoping she will vacation with us.”
“How did you ever get mixed up in this, anyway?”
“I was contacted by a person I went to high school with who grew up near here and went to school at BUHS with me. He works for the FBI. It all started out innocently enough. He needed a place out of the limelight for Sandy to recover from the wounds you see in the pictures. A lot of bullshit went on and I wasn’t awful happy after agreeing to be a part of it. Annie was what made me decide to get in all the way.
“Then a couple of months ago the FBI discovered there was a person in this area who needed looking at. It was someone that Sandy knew from the earlier days before she was wounded. Naturally she needed to be involved. It ended today. Sandy’s situation concerning me had nothing to do with that. She was ready to give up being a housewife and had already made up her mind to return to Washington so this isn’t a snap decision. Annie and I are going to miss her; that’s for certain.”
“So your home life is back to square one?”
“Not ever, Dad. I have Annie. I’ll really start looking for a companion now and eventually find someone who will make me a wife and a good mother to Annie.”
Mom and Dad decided it was time to leave and Mary and Todd followed soon afterward. Sandy came out and sat at the kitchen table with me. “Annie is worn out. She and the kitten are sound asleep. You know Johnny, your family thinks less and less of me all the time. They think I’m abandoning you.”
“Well, it does look that way. However, we know what is best for both of us. I’d love to have you stay, but you love working for the bureau. I’m not going to hold you back. I’m sure we will always be friends.”
“We will, Johnny. You’re taking this better than I expected. I hated revealing that I wanted to leave. What made you agree so quickly?”
“Sandy, I realized in just the last few days how much you thrive in a dangerous situation. There isn’t much danger being a housewife.”
“Believe it or not, being a housewife was more challenging to me than what I was doing for the Bureau.”
“I can see that.” I turned on the television and we watched a movie that got over at 7:00. “It’s early, but let’s go to bed. I didn’t get any sleep last night.”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
I didn’t plan on hurrying to work in the morning. Todd was loading a truck with steel braces for an overhead transfer system we were installing in a factory twenty miles away in Keene, NH. He called before I got there. “Hey Johnny, get your butt up here. They found our van. There’s a state trooper here. They found the damned van early yesterday morning and have been investigating it ever since. They won’t tell me anything about it. You come talk to the trooper. I gotta get to Keene.”
“I’ll be right there.” I hung up and turned to Sandy. “Remember, we know from nothing. I’ll call you from my office when I get a chance. Stay calm.”
“You’re the one who has to stay calm. You remember something yourself, don’t volunteer any information. Just answer the questions put to you.”
Todd was pulling out just as I pulled in. There were two vehicles there. The State Trooper’s patrol car was parked in front of the office. There was a sheriff’s car that said Bennington County behind him. I walked up to the officers. “Hi, I’m Johnny Brooks. You found our van, Todd tells me.”
“That’s correct. We are trying to pinpoint precisely when it was taken from here. When did you see it last?
“It was there Saturday when the compound was locked up. I called it in to the local police when I was here yesterday morning and reported it missing.”
“What made you sure it was stolen?”
“Our padlock was lying on the ground by the gate. It had been cut.”
“Where is it now?”
“The padlock? I tossed it into the scrap metal heap. It’s over there in that pile. Keys too for that matter. I wasn’t thinking and heaved it. There are always too many unmatched keys around so I tossed them too.”
“Well, I guess it isn’t important. I do need to verify that you owned the van. You got any proof of ownership?”
“In the office. I’m usually here earlier than this. Maybe there is some coffee still hot. When am I going to get the van back or do I have to go get it?”
“You won’t get it back. There were two bodies in it. We haven’t determined if it was foul play or not yet anyway. We’re still checking. The van caught fire and the bodies are pretty badly burned. Did whoever drove it recently mention any odor of gasoline?”
“No one mentioned it. I can call my wife. She drove it to get groceries sometime this last week. That was just across to Hannaford’s though.”
“Would you, please.” I dialed Sandy. She said she didn’t notice any smell.
I dug out the insurance papers and I still had the original purchase papers in the van file, along with papers noting what parts we had replaced. “The registration and insurance card were in the glove box.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Where is the van now?”
“Bennington. Searsburg is in Bennington County where it was found. I guess we are all done here. I see you still have insurance on it, but you won’t get nothing for it. You should have taken the insurance off five years ago.”
“Guess that was something I overlooked. Were all the tires burned? I spent $500 on them just a week ago.”
“All burned, sorry.” The two officers drove away. The sheriff’s deputy hadn’t said anything or even been introduced to me. Todd had men working in the fabricating building and they came out asking what was going on. I told them everything except there were two bodies found in the van.
One of the men laughed saying that was one way to get a new van. I went to work in the office. I was designing an automatic transport project, which would be affixed to a rail along a factory floor. The trolley would go down a long space between fifty work stations and move material from one section to another. It would eliminate three factory workers from the work force, but that was progress.
We didn’t hear anything more for a couple of days. Then the student at SIT reported Abdul missing. The Brattleboro police checked his motel room and found evidence about him being a terrorist. That brought the FBI into it. Sandy was, of course, kept out of it. Gordon was not much involved as it was all under the direction of Bill, his superior. Sandy and I weren’t kept abreast of the ongoing investigation. The weekend came and Sandy made ready to move to Washington.
“Hey girl, we’ve had a good run haven’t we?”
“We sure have. I have absolutely no regrets. You know, I think I’m going to advance right up the ladder. Bill has me positioned for it anyway. You … you were the best thing that could have happened to me at this particular time in my life. I’ll be back to visit. Maybe even at Christmas time. If you have some woman in your bed by that time, I’ll sleep in the spare room.
“Annie … well, I have mothered her for almost five months. I wonder; will she miss me at all? I do find myself thinking about her. I guess she did more for me than I did for her. I think I did pretty well with you and your folks teaching me about what it is to have a family. Too late now for regrets and we had some good times.
“I’m glad I used my own money to buy a car. Johnny, I’ve done one other thing. The account with my money we opened in our names is still here. I transferred out a portion and took my name off it. What’s there is in your name. Use it for Annie … hire a nanny for her or for her schooling or just whatever.”
“She already has an annuity, remember? I had the Gordon get it for her education when they shortened our vacation.”
“I know, so just find a use for it. Hell, use it to expand your business. I won’t need it and I want you to have it.”
“Okay, whatever you say. What time are you leaving tomorrow?”
“I’m going about 4:00 in the morning. I don’t want you to get up to say goodbye. You would see me cry if you did. I’ve been telling Annie all week that I was leaving. When I put her to bed tonight, I asked her to go in and crawl in with you in the morning because I wouldn’t be here. Her arms came up and she kissed me. Then she held Tippy up so I could kiss her goodbye too. I really think she understands.”
“She might. She’s pretty aware. Sandy let’s go to bed and cuddle. That’s all we did the first night we had together and that would be appropriate, don’t you think?”
“I do.”
I knew Annie and I were all alone when I heard the kitten purring right by my head. A soft, “Daddy, I love you,” was whispered in my ear.
Chapter Five
Mom had the chore of seeing that Annie was well taken care of during the day. Mary and Ginny did nearly as much. Annie was good and never asked for her mother. She and I lived in the house alone. I think I was lonelier than Annie for she had Tippy to cuddle with. I cooked at least half our meals. Mom worried that we weren’t eating correctly. We did eat out, but I was very careful to make sure our meals were nutritious.
I think what made Annie such a joy to care for was that she always listened to me. If I instructed her she would do as I said to do. I did buy her some board games to play with, and spent much of any spare time I had playing them with her. We subscribed to Netflix, but other than that we didn’t watch much television.
Halloween arrived the week after Sandy left. Ginny and Junior came and got Annie into a costume and we all went trick or treating. We walked as far as Mom and Dad’s and had cider and donuts with them. I had to carry Annie home, but when we came into the house she declared she had a wonderful time.
I was working everyday and Annie got into a routine where she appeared to be reasonably happy. Sandy called quite often expressing her guilt at leaving me and Annie. This was usually after Annie had gone to bed. I assured her we were doing fine. I suggested Sandy talk to Annie on Saturday mornings when I was home. With her the conversation revolved around the kitten and was always short.
At this time, Sandy would tell me about what she was doing and how happy she was with her duties. She was shown a lot of respect from the other agents because they knew of her history and the close calls she had. I came to the conclusion that this was what Sandy should be doing and I was glad she had found herself.
Sandy called the Saturday before Thanksgiving. “Johnny, I was talking to Gordon yesterday. He was wondering if he could stop in either the day before or the day after the holiday. He is visiting his aunt in Putney. I told him I’m sure you would like to see him.”
“Of course I would.You won’t be coming with him?”
“No, I can’t, I’m sorry. Gordon will have a friend with him. Someone who is getting out of the bureau shortly. You are always good for coffee and I said I didn’t think you would mind.”
“If they come the day after, I’ll have some of Mom’s leftover pie. I wish you were with him.”
“I know you do. I promise I’ll be up for Christmas and spend a few days. How is Annie?”
“She’s fine. Today she is playing with Ginny. Everyone loves to have her around. On a different subject, can you tell me anymore about the terrorist investigation? I never did see my van at all.”
“I was talking with Bill the other day. The investigation is complete. When the FBI took charge of it due to Abdul being identified, it was wound right up. The papers and pictures found in his hotel room opened up a window into the new cell he was connected to. They are being tracked now. I do have pictures of our van. I’ll bring them with me at Christmas time.”
We hit a dead spot, thinking of nothing to say. “Johnny, have you gone on any dates since I left?”
“No, not yet. To be honest I haven’t even thought about it. Have you?”
“I’ve been out a couple of times. No one from the office, just a couple of men I met socially. Johnny, make the effort. You need someone to cuddle with and Annie does need a mother. Some woman who is satisfied with being a homemaker and who will love both you and Annie.”
“I will, Sandy, I will. Hey, keep in touch. I’ll never forget you. It was pretty damned exciting while you were here.”
“Bye Johnny, I’ll call again soon.” I smiled, thinking the dating pool was much bigger in DC than it was in Brattleboro, Vermont.
Gordon called me on Tuesday at the compound, “Johnny, I’m in town. Will you be home tonight?”
“Sure will be. Come on up.”
“I’d like to take you and Annie out to that place up the road from you. The New England house I think it is. Bring a lady friend if you like.”
“Annie likes to eat in a restaurant and look at the people. So far she is my only lady friend. Shall we meet you there or will you come to the house first?”
“I think we’ll swing by your house first. Five okay?”
“See you then.”
I collected Annie from her Aunt Mary’s and took her home. “Take a bath, sweetheart. We are being taken out to dinner. Pick out a pretty dress. Can you put it on?”
“If you would button me up I can put it on. Can I wear my earrings and shiny shoes?”
“Of course you can.” I was in the closet getting my jacket when I heard the car door close. “Annie, go to the door and let Gordon in.”
I had two wool jackets and it took a minute to decide which one to wear. I was shrugging into the grey one when I looked up. “Caitlin? Caitlin is that really you?”
“In the flesh, Johnny. Both Sandy and Gordon told me you would be glad to see me. Johnny, I wanted to see you too.”
“I’m so glad you came up. Is your husband with you?”
“Johnny, that’s one question you didn’t get to ask and I didn’t get to answer. There hasn’t been a husband for a few years. I’ve always said I was married to keep the wolves from the door. That is until I get to know someone. I know you well enough now to tell you about my life.”
“You’ll spend some time here with me, then?”
“We’ll talk about it later. I think little Annie is sick of playing hostess for Gordon. It’s been a long day and I’m hungry.”
“I made reservations, hoping you might be with Gordon when he said he had a friend. That way Annie won’t have to sit too long.”
Caitlin laughed. “Sandy said that Annie is first with you in everything. I can see what she means. Johnny, when I chose Annie for you, I had the wish I was still married so I could adopt her for myself. I didn’t know about you and I knew something about Sandy to make me have reservations. She did well by Annie though, didn’t she?”
“Yes she did, but it turned out that any child would have been the same for her.”
Annie was tugging Gordon toward the door and I hadn’t even had a chance to say hi to him yet.
We were seated right after we reached the restaurant. Our drink orders were taken and menus brought. When the drinks came Gordon said, “You may order anything you like, Annie, I’m paying.” I nodded my head that she could.
“Annie you go first.”
She looked at Caitlin. “Nice lady, would you help me, please. I can’t read yet. This looks very good.” She pointed to a picture of the entrée.
“That is breast of roasted chicken. It comes with mashed potato and gravy and you can get two vegetables with it. Corn, beans, peas and cold slaw are the choices.”
The waitress asked if she was ready to order. She was. “I’ll have the roast chicken, the potato and some corn. That will be enough to fill me up.”
When the waitress turned away with our orders, Annie asked Caitlin if she would take her to the bathroom. “Mommy used to take me and she said you should always go with another lady for protection. If we go now, we won’t have to go while we are eating.”
I looked at Gordon and burst out laughing. “And now we know why two women always go together.” Caitlin was laughing almost as hard as we were. It was a pleasant meal, and for me more so with Caitlin there. No one wanted dessert and I said I would make coffee when we reached home. Gordon said he was going to head for his aunt’s house. He was having Thanksgiving with her and his cousins.
Caitlin said, “Johnny, I’m being bold, but may I have your guest room for tonight?”
“Certainly. Actually you can have it until Gordon picks you up. Annie and I would love to have you join us for Thanksgiving. Lord knows there will be food enough. I’d really like to insist on it, but I don’t want to disrupt any plans you may have made.”
“Being bold again, I was hoping you would invite me. I’ll even bake a pie. I have pecans and the syrup for it in my suitcase.”
“That’s all settled then. Gordon, we haven’t had much chance to discuss the night that Abdul died. I would like to know a little more. I’m curious how the FBI got the chance to take over from our state troopers.”
“I’ll fill you in Friday. I think I’m going back on Saturday.” Before he left, I retrieved Caitlin’s two suitcases from his car. I had a moment out of her hearing. “Johnny, Caitlin quit her job the first of November. Sandy is feeling guilty about leaving you alone to care for Annie. You might consider hiring Caitlin temporarily until she finds something to do.”
“What’s her financial situation?”
“I have no idea. She has always been secretive about her personal life. Anyway, it is a thought.”
“Thanks.”
Caitlin was playing with Annie and the kitten. I sat in the living room thinking about Caitlin Bluth. I had liked her from the first time we had met back at O’Hare several months ago. I thought she was a nice lady then and I did now. Tonight she was totally different than I had ever seen her. Some of it was how she wore her hair. Before it was fairly long, but never had I seen her with it styled in any way.
Also she almost always had on a business suit, grey or blue and worn with a white blouse. Tonight she had on a colored wool skirt and a colorful top and the outside jacket was chic, a warm tan color and definitely expensive. Her eyes sparkled when she talked and laughed. It was like she had one persona and had shed it before she arrived here to gain a new one. I liked this one.
I was in my reverie when Caitlin appeared in front of me. “What’cha thinking?”
“Deep thoughts.”
“Good ones I hope.”
“They could be.”
“Do they have anything to do with a bold and brassy hussy who inveigled a room from you?”
“Maybe, but I assure you they are all good thoughts.”
“Hold that for now. Annie wants a kiss good night. You know, I’m a bit surprised that you haven’t had her sleeping with you, but she says she doesn’t.”
“There’s a simple answer for the reason I haven’t. Eventually I will marry again. If she was used to coming to my bed, I’d have to ask her to stay in her own bed. It might make hard feelings between the new mom and Annie. She needed to learn early that my bed is for adults and her bed is for children. It didn’t take long before she accepted this.
“The only exception is if she is ill and I suppose if I needed constant care she would be there for me and would return to the status quo as soon as either of us was able to.”
“Don’t you ever want to relax the rule when you’ve had a bad day?”
“Of course I do. I often needed someone to hold, but if I gave in to my own rule, it wouldn’t be long before there was no rule at all. A child needs rules to live by. It makes it easier for them to know what’s right and what’s wrong. We do cuddle on the couch if it is needed. Enough of this; come with me while I say goodnight to Annie.”
“From what you say it sounds as if you are very strict, but I can see Annie loves you so you must be doing something right.”
“I never have had to physically discipline her. I don’t lose my temper or shout at her. A child can’t be reasoned with like an adult. This is only because they don’t have the maturity to reason, so if there are rules and guidelines for them to live by, it works out very well. I don’t use much bribery either. I’ve seen where parents used bribery to get their kids to do just the basic chores.”
Annie was almost asleep. “Daddy, after I kiss you goodnight, can I kiss the nice lady goodnight, too?”
“Of course you can, sweetheart. You know the nice lady has a name, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. It’s Caitlin. She was at Mommy and your wedding and you called her Nice Lady. I like her a lot so I can call her Nice Lady too, but I will call her Caitlin sometimes.”
“Well, I think you are a nice little lady, too, and I think you are very special.”
“Thank you, Nice Lady, I like to be special.”
When we left Annie I made a call to my mother. “Mom, Annie won’t be coming over in the morning. I have a person here who will be watching her tomorrow. The two of them are going to bake a pecan pie. Would it be okay if I invite her for dinner on Thanksgiving?”
“Of course it will, Johnny. What’s her name?”
“Caitlin Bluth. She is a friend of Sandy’s and I have known her just as long as I’ve known Sandy.”
“Are you sure you want to leave Annie alone with her?”
“I’m positive. We went out to the New England House for dinner tonight and we had a wonderful time. If you are out and about tomorrow, stop in and visit. Annie will introduce you.”
“I might just do that. I can’t stay long because I have a lot of things to get ready for dinner on Thursday.”
“Okay, Mom, that’ll be fine.” I hung up the phone and turned to Caitlin who had been listening.
“I’m sure Mother will be here and pretty early too. Probably Mary will be with her. Ginny and Junior will stop in to see Annie after school is out. You probably will have them from noon on because school is out then.”
“You’re leaving me all alone to meet your family? That’s mean.”
“No, it is showing them I trust you to take care of Annie. Now, I think it’s time I got to know a lot more about you. Tell me about your life, all or just what you want to share.”
“I could say ‘you see me, that is what you get,’ but I’ll share. I grew up in the Midwest. My parents are very successful farmers. I was always intrigued with law enforcement and went on to school to learn more about what it takes. I met a boy my third year in college. I fell in love … or thought I did. His father was in the bureau, and I probably thought how lucky for me it would be if I married the son. I would have an opening into the FBI.
“I used him and got on as a probationary agent. We married soon after being hired. I was so serious about my job, I guess, I neglected my husband. It lasted two years and we divorced. Mr. Bluth senior, blamed me for the breakup. My job has gone absolutely nowhere for the nine years I’ve been with the bureau. Mr Bluth is still in the company and that may be the answer.
“I can’t claim I have been held back because I don’t have any evidence of it. You have seen what my duties have been like. I arrange things for people like I did for you. I’m like a house mother in certain situations and make travel arrangements. The one gem I’m most proud in my career was finding Annie for you. That capped my entire time in the bureau.
“Since I met both of you I’ve done some serious thinking about my life. I’m thirty-one years old. I have no husband and no children. I quit the bureau on the spur of the moment after deciding I would take two years to see what my life would be like outside the Bureau. If I want to stay with law enforcement, I can get on with some local force near my home town. I have no black marks on my record so it shouldn’t be difficult.”
“What do your parents say about this career change of yours?”
“My parents want me to be happy, that’s all. My grandmother, to whom I’m closest, is the one who convinced me to change my life. I was with her last week. I told her about you and Annie.” Caitlin stopped speaking. I was waiting for her to continue. She didn’t so I gave her a prompt.
“And?”
“And that’s it. I’m taking a vacation.”
“And you just naturally showed up here.”
“Yes, I showed up here. Johnny, you have named me ‘Nice Lady,’ and I think I am. I feel you are a comparable ‘Nice Guy,’ so why shouldn’t we get to know each other better?”
“I’d like that, but I’d want to go a lot slower than I agreed to with Sandy. We didn’t really fit together all that well. We both gave it our best shot and I don’t have any regrets and I know she doesn’t either. Best of all, Annie wasn’t hurt over it. I was able to fill in for Sandy when she left. As long as you’re on vacation, would you consider staying here and make this your headquarters? You might help out a little with the care of Annie during the day.”
“Johnny, do you feel as if I’m putting pressure on you in any way by taking a vacation here?”
“No. I’d like to get to know you better than I do now. That will give us a chance to see what each other is like.”
“Okay then, I’m officially on vacation. Shall we watch NCIS--Los Angeles?”
I was having my coffee at 5:30 when Annie staggered out rubbing sleep from her eyes. “G’morning Daddy. Do you have to work today?”
“Yes, but just this morning. Caitlin is still here. Will you stay with her?”
“I guess so. Will I be going to Grammy’s?”
“No, but I think Grammy will be coming to see you and Caitlin. I called her last night. I don’t have to leave yet.You can go back to bed or you can curl up on the couch. I think Tippy is in there already.”
“I’ll play with Tippy.”
Just then the other bedroom door opened and Caitlin ducked into the bathroom. A few minutes later she came out. She had on a long bathrobe and hadn’t combed her hair yet. She had got the sleepy out of her eyes though. “Did I hear Annie?”
I jerked my thumb toward the living room.
“Good morning, Annie, and good morning, Tippy.”
“Good morning, Caitlin. I’m glad you are still here. I thought you might have left. Nurse Brenda left the day Mommy came and then Mommy left, and I thought you would too.”
“No dear, I’m going to stay for awhile.”
“That’s good cause I like you. Are you going to get my breakfast?”
“I certainly am. Are you hungry now?”
“Not yet, but I will be. Will you make me oatmeal with lots of raisins and some siminmin?”
“I will do that and I will have the same. If you are playing with Tippy, I’ll have a coffee with that nice guy who is your daddy.”
“Okay.”
When I left, I pointed out the phone list for Mary and Mom and the shop phone if Caitlin had to call me. I almost used my first wife’s name. Caitlin and Bernita were much the same size. Caitlin’s hair was blonde whereas Bernita’s was a reddish blonde the same as Annie’s. Caitlin’s shape was fine, better than Sandy’s, but then she hadn’t been where she couldn’t take care of it. Yes, I checked her out. A habit of mine, Todd’s, and even my father’s when a woman was present.
I was extremely busy all morning and didn’t give much thought of how Caitlin and Annie were getting along. Todd was coming up later to see my guest. Everyone else had met her and were all at the house when I got home. Mom, Dad, Mary and Annie’s two cousins had just finished a lunch and had a prepared plate for me.
Mom sat down beside me while I was eating. “There is a change of plan for tomorrow. I mentioned that Bernita always had the family in because you have more parking and more room for all of us. She said then we should have it here so that’s the plan. The pies are all finished, the four kinds you like and the rolls are rising. Kate will put them into the oven in a little bit.
“I sent Dad down to the house to get the turkey and Kate will put it into the oven here. Mary and I will cook the vegetables at home and bring them with us. All we have to do tomorrow is get the snackys and dip laid out.”
“You called her Kate?”
“Yes, she said that was her nickname. That’s easier for Annie to say. Kate said you had another name for her.”
“I did. She was a nice lady when I met her. I was pretty damned nervous, not knowing what I had got myself into with Sandy. I’ve always been comfortable around Caitlin whenever we were together.”
“I can see why. Within a few minutes of meeting her, I felt the same way.”
Todd got me aside after he had been here awhile. “Johnny, you finally found a woman who looks like one. Sandy was nice, but I never thought you got much. That was at first before she gained weight and after awhile I didn’t notice. This one is one to be noticed.”
“Todd, don’t make too much of this, Caitlin is a guest and making herself useful.”
As Todd walked away he said over his shoulder, “You always were a damned fool, Johnny. You had better smarten up.” I laughed at him.
Finally it was just Caitlin and Annie here. “What do you think of my family? They kind of loaded you down with tomorrow’s dinner, didn’t they?”
“Johnny, I offered. Do you mind? This is the way Thanksgiving should be celebrated. It is the way we did the day when I lived at home. I will want to call my folks sometime tonight or tomorrow.”
“Call them now if you wish. I’ll give you some privacy.”
“No need for that. I’ll just explain that I’m going to have as good a day as I would have at home.” Caitlin talked for over an hour. Some of it was how she was feeling about leaving the job she had for nine years. She talked a lot about Annie and of course my name came into the conversation.”
When she hung up, she said, “I’m glad I called. Mom didn’t know where I was. She is pleased I’m having Thanksgiving dinner with a family somewhere. I’ll be going out to Iowa during the winter school vacation and see all my family.”
“Will you be here until then?”
“If you’ll have me, I could be.”
“Plan on it. I want to give Annie a great Christmas. She will be old enough to know what it is all about. Sandy will be here, but that won’t be a problem.”
“Johnny will you two be sleeping together?”
“No, we’ve talked about that and decided we wouldn’t go back.” Caitlin smiled when I said this.
The day dawned cold and partially cloudy. I did have a fireplace but seldom lit it. The three kids wanted it going so we built the fire. There was the smoke odor and they didn’t like the smell so we let it burn through the kindling and the three sticks and as soon as possible closed it up.
I watched Caitlin. I was just curious because I had missed much of the interaction with my family yesterday. She fit right in and could have been a sister to Mary or Todd. Ginny and Junior began calling her Aunt Kate and of course, Annie did too. Caitlin winked at me. The dinner was perfect. No need to say more.
Leftovers went home except for one plate for the three of us. It wasn’t the dinner that made me gain weight but the leftovers. We all headed for bed early. Too much food did that to a person.
“Caitlin, thank you for everything you did for my family. We like to keep close to each other and it is days like this that do it.”
“Johnny, you made my day. Honestly it was no effort at all. The same thing was taking place out in Iowa and this brought me home if only in my mind. Oh, I wish you would call me Kate when you speak to me. I should have told you this a long time ago. Your family already are calling me Kate.”
“If you want ‘Kate,’ Kate it will be.”
“Goodnight Johnny.”
Gordon came to the house Friday afternoon as I had asked. “How was your day, Johnny?”
“Couldn’t have been better. Kate cooked a lot of it and we had the dinner here. She fits right in.”
“I thought she might. Is she staying here for a while?”
“Yes, and she is taking care of Annie. I think she will be here until February when she goes home to visit her family. Now tell me what you can about what went on when you and Sandy got Abdul?”
“You know most of it. Sandy’s side of it. We dropped Sandy off at the end of your street here. There was your van with Abdul’s body in it. We didn’t really mind that he succumbed because we knew most of what he had been doing and some of the people he was doing it for. It was a little sticky when the Vermont State Police became involved. Too, the student didn’t report Abdul missing as soon as we thought she would.
“The Brattleboro detective who gained entrance to his motel room was right on the ball though, and when he saw some of the papers, sketches and pictures, he immediately called in the FBI. At that time we owned the investigation and could control it.”
“The trooper told me there was another body found in the van. Where did that come from?”
“We had it in the other vehicle. It was a cadaver. It was another red herring to make Abdul’s people think he was here just screwing around. We dumped the van near the lower Searsburg dam. That was planned. Actually the only time when things didn’t go as planned was when Abdul went after Sandy and not the agent on the roof. She got marked up some as you well know. The information NSA is picking out of the atmosphere is that this project is dead as far as his people are concerned.”
“Was Abdul’s death planned?”
“Not really. We had a plan for either outcome with him being dead or alive. One plan was as good as the other.”
“Did it bother Sandy at all? I couldn’t see it.”
“No, I don’t think it did. She is the stuff assassins are made of. Don’t repeat this, but sometimes I think we need more of them. But then it is pretty bad right now with all of these suicide bombers. You can classify them as assassins, too … and they are killing hundreds of innocents every week, it seems, all over the world.”
“Hard to believe terrorist activity was going on right here in this town.”
“You never know. That’s the worst of it. Anything else I can tell you?”
“About Sandy, I get the feeling she might be a little kinky in the sex department. Is she?”
“Could be. Remember she was trained in certain things before she was wormed into the terrorist cell. She might have picked up some preferences during her undercover work she was trained to accept. I suppose she may have come to enjoy some of them.”
“It took much of the sweetness from her. I tried to help her recapture with love some of what she lost, but I wasn’t strong enough.”
“Don’t beat yourself over it. You gave her your love. At least it gave her something to compare the other side with. Over time it might be what returns her totally to the human race.”
Gordon hung around talking with us. Annie got bored and crawled into Kate’s lap and went to sleep. Gordon could not take his eye off the pair. “Kate, different way of life isn’t it?”
“It is. I’m thinking I’ll never go back to the other way either.”
I had never looked at the money account that Sandy had left me. It was for well over $100,000. I didn’t have any immediate use for it, so I slid it into an annuity and forgot it. Kate and I discussed what to get Annie for presents. We got a couple of the hot items of the year that were being advertised on the tube. Other than that we bought educational toys and books. Kate read to her, so books were a big thing for her.
I bought two pair of earrings … one pair of diamond ones for Kate and a pair of emerald stones for Sandy. How they would receive them I had no idea. I felt I knew both well enough, so jewelry was fine for presents. I had Mom and Mary out looking for sweaters and things like that for Kate. I bought Kate a pair of snow shoes so I could take her into woods I was familiar with a place that had several logging roads and perfect for beginners. Kate was an exercise enthusiast who used a gym and I wanted to show her other good forms of exercise.
I had Mary buy two sweaters for Sandy. She would have to be satisfied with those. Then I decided it wouldn’t be enough, so I put both new robes and pajamas under the tree for Kate and Sandy.
Sandy continued to call once a week, but seldom asked to speak to Annie. My conversations were usually of short duration. Then she would want to talk to Kate. A lot of it was about her work at the bureau, but sometimes it was personal girl talk.
Sandy planned to arrive here the day before Christmas Eve, but there was a snow storm that came up the eastern seaboard and she didn’t arrive until early the next morning. She had spent a chilly night, parked on the thruway waiting for traffic to clear.
Annie opened the door for her, and Sandy swept Annie into her arms, hugging her. “Hi Annie, I’ve missed my little girl.”
Annie bombed Sandy with, “I’m not your little girl anymore. I’m Kate’s little girl.” Sandy looked at Annie and began to tear up. Annie didn’t want Sandy to cry. “But I miss you. I’m glad you came to be with me for Christmas. Did you bring presents?”
“I did bring you a present. When we open presents, you can be the first to open yours.”
“Okay. Come see Tippy. See how big she is now.”
“Let me hug Kate and your daddy and then you can show me Tippy.”
She went to Kate first and they laughed about the time Sandy had traveling. Then she turned to me. “Johnny, I’ve missed you more than I thought I would. Hug me tight. I’ve missed having your arms around me more than anything.” She looked into my eyes and read what I was thinking, “I know it is my fault, but I can still miss it. You just make a person love you so much. I guess it is a matter of trust.”
Now she had a chance to remove her winter coat. “Johnny, the back seat of the car is full of things for all of you. I got things for Ginny and Junior too. I bought brandy for Dad and whisky for Todd. And I got robes for Mom and Mary.”
She looked around and Annie was holding Tippy. “Can I hold her?” She received a vigorous nod and the two went into the living room.”
“Just like she never left, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s different and I’m not sorry either. I’ll unload the car.”
“Okay, I’ll see if she is hungry.”
It didn’t take me long to realize Sandy was a different person. I asked her about it. “So tell me about what you do?”
“I work in an office. I’m part of a team of four and able to call for other agents to be assigned to the team as needed. We are given a project to look at and sometimes it becomes an operation. I’m the one in the team that others report to and I am the one who makes some low-level decisions or I can kick it up higher. To be honest I haven’t done much yet, but eventually it will get more exciting.
“I was out in the field for years, so in one way I know more about what can and can’t be accomplished. My superiors are well pleased with me so far. It will take awhile, but I’m glad I took the position when offered. Sometime I expect I will be out in the field investigating openly, but not as the spy I once was. It’s kinda like being on the other side of the coin.”
“I take it you don’t miss Vermont very much.”
“Sometimes I do. You and your family were wonderful to me. I wasn’t really happy. I think Annie knew because she felt it more than anyone else. It didn’t bother her that much because she had her daddy and as long she had you she was happy. I get the feeling she would have a difficult time letting Kate leave. Her feelings for Kate remind me of how she likes you. What are you going to do about Kate anyway? Have you made love to her yet?”
“No, I haven’t started any kind of relationship with her at all.”
“Why not?”
“Sandy, I can’t jump from one woman and immediately jump to another. I’m not built that way.”
“You’re a damned fool, Johnny. Kate is looking for love, not just sex. I think she has been in love with you even before she introduced you to me. If you had any balls, you’d ask her and then you’d know.”
“You mean just walk up and say, Kate, do you love me?”
“That’s a little abrupt, but you could ask her if she had feelings for you. Build on that for beginners.” Sandy bounced off the couch, saying, “Your problem, Johnny. I’m not going to propose for you. I’m going down to your folks and visit. I’ll be back sometime and play with Annie and the kitten. She remembers it was me that went with her to get it.”
Kate came in. “What were you discussing, if it isn’t a secret?”
“Some of it was her work. I think she is hoping for some active field work.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Where did she go off to now?”
“Down to visit my parents.” I didn’t realize it but I must have been staring at her.
“What?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just thinking of something else Sandy said. It was something I should get brave enough to find out about.”
“And that would be?”
“Kate, I may be destroying something good or I may be making something better. I’m going to take a chance.”
“Well?”
I stood up. “Kate, may I kiss you?”
“What? What did you say?”
“I asked if you would let me kiss you. I want to, and I’ve thought about it and I want to start a relationship with you?”
“Are you serious and if you are, how serious? Oh hell, I don’t care if you are serious or not. I’ve been waiting a long time for your kisses.” Kate came into my arms and we had our first kiss. We lost our balance and the back of my knees hit the edge of the couch. Kate followed me right down on top of me. I bounced off it and landed on the floor. Kate never let up and kept on kissing me.
Annie came running in, "What happened, Daddy? Kate, why are you kissing Daddy?”
“These are Christmas kisses. You come kiss him too. You know Santa comes tonight. Tomorrow morning you’ll have to look in your stocking to see if he really came.”
Annie jumped up, “Where are you going Annie?”
“I’m going to give Tippy Christmas kisses.” She was gone.
“I could stay right here forever with you.”
“You could get into trouble if you did.”
“I know. I like to get into trouble, but I guess we had better get up before Annie comes back.”
“Kate, I haven’t told you that I love you yet. I’m telling you now that I do. Kate Bluth, I love you.”
“And I love you, Johnny Brooks.” We were sitting on the couch when Tippy and Annie came back for more Christmas kisses.
Sandy didn’t come back until after Annie had gone to bed. She had spent last night in her car stuck on the highway so she didn’t stay up late. She had the guest room. She made a comment before going into the room Kate was using. “For almost five months this was my home and now I’m only a guest in the guest room. Tonight this makes me sad. Johnny, please kiss me just one more time. And Kate, you’ve been my friend for a long time. I’ll take a kiss from you, too.”
She paused and then apologized for me losing my bed. I was sleeping on the couch and Kate had my bed. “Johnny, you’re a damned fool. You both could be in the same bed. I’m almost disgusted with you for not stepping up to the plate. She whirled away and disappeared into her room. Kate and I held our laughter until the door closed.
Kate left and got ready for bed. I had told her I would be in to say goodnight. As soon as I was alone I went to the closet off the living room and opened the small fire safe. My grandmother had given me a ring with three small diamonds in it. When she handed it to me she said, “Johnny, the stones aren’t very big, but the value is in the hidden love. Someday you will find a woman to give this to who will see it the same way I saw it when your grandfather gave it to me. I’ve treasured it all the years I was with him.”
I waited until I figured Kate was in bed and I opened the door quietly. “Johnny, I was waiting for you to come say goodnight.”
“Can I lie down next to you for a minute and hold your hand?”
“You can hold anything you want to.”
“I just want to hold your left hand.”
“Johnny?”
“Kate, my grandmother passed on her wedding ring to me. She didn’t have an engagement ring so Gramp had one made. It is actually a wedding band with very small stones in it. She said the value was in the love hidden in it. Will you wear it and love me forever?”
“Yes, I will love you forever. Oh, it’s so fine. You couldn’t have given me one better.” We spent several hours lying there whispering our hopes and dreams and plans for the future. I finally went to the living room and took my place on the couch, finding myself lonely already.”
Annie came into the living room where her stocking was hung. She had gotten Kate up so she could see what Santa left in her stocking. It was stuffed full and she just loved Santa.
The family togetherness time for this holiday was always Christmas breakfast. This year it was here, the same as at Thanksgiving. I made muffins and Kate did sausages and bacon. There would be pancakes and eggs how you liked them when everyone got here. Sandy came out and started helping by setting the table.
Dad and Mom came and then Todd, Mary, and their two came last.We would open the presents that were piled around the tree after the kitchen had been put right. Kate and I were the last to sit down. Dad, who was sitting on Kate’s left, leaned over and whispered in Kate’s ear.When he finished Kate took Dad’s face in her hands and brushed her lips across his.
My mother exploded, “Henry, what on earth is going on?”
“Well dear, I just welcomed Kate into the Brooks family. I think I was justified because I see she is wearing my mother’s ring this morning. Johnny must have got around to growing some testicles.”
Kate’s face was flaming and she raised her hand and flashed the ring. Annie said, “Oh boy, more Christmas kisses. Kate and Daddy were on the floor last night kissing and they said they were Christmas kisses.” She started around the table kissing each person, wanting her share this Christmas. She got kisses from everyone except Junior. He wasn’t kissing no girl, yuck!
I looked at Sandy and she gave me thumbs up and I gave her one back.”
I gave Mary all the credit for doing my Christmas shopping. The emerald and diamond earrings for Sandy and for Kate were the last presents given out. Sandy cried when she opened her emerald ones, knowing now for sure I didn’t hold anything against her for leaving me and Annie to go on with her work and life in Washington.
Kate said “Thank you.” The diamond earrings were important, but not as much as the ring on her finger. Soon everyone had left except Sandy. She and Kate went about getting our own Christmas dinner while I played with Annie and her new toys. Sandy had given her a child’s tablet and Annie was learning the alphabet from the app that came on it.
Epilogue
The perfect Christmas was behind Kate and me. Kate had said she wanted to go to Iowa to visit her family in February. Annie and I went with her and met her parents, the Johnsons. They were farm people and grew corn. This was a slow time of year. I wanted Dad and Mom to meet Kate’s parents so I arranged for them to join us in Iowa two days later. Kate and I were there six days and my parents were there for four. We all came back to Vermont on the same plane.
Kate was still officially my housekeeper, but was certainly more to me and Annie until our church wedding over the Memorial Day holiday. We were now a complete family. What a year this had been for me, Kate, and especially for Annie.
The End
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